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If you loved the award-winning Bohemian Rhapsody starring Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton, you’re bound to love this new music-fuelled biopic. Directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by the film’s Anthony McCarten comes I Wanna Dance With Somebody, an upcoming movie on the life of Whitney Houston.
Today the film poster was released and reveals a first look at Naomi Ackie’s transformation into the music legend. The promo stars Ackie in a white t-shirt, skinny denim jeans, leather jacket and boots. Inspired by Houston’s iconic ’90s look in the music video “So Emotional”.
Ackie is best known for her role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It was announced she would be playing Houston in May 2021, where she told Entertainment Tonight the pressures of playing the star.
“I’m going to try my best because that woman – it sends shivers down my spine how much she means to me, the world, Black women, African American women,” Ackie said at the time. “I’m going to throw my everything into making sure she is represented properly.”
“I just want to tell her story. And I think when I’m able to simplify it down to that, I’ll be able to handle the pressure,” she added.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody is due to be released into theatres from late December, 2022. It also stars Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis, Ashton Sanders as Houston’s husband Bobby Brown, Tamara Tunie as Houston’s mother Cissy, Clarke Peters as Houston’s father John and Nafessa Williams as Houston’s former assistant and creative director Robyn Crawford.
The film has been made in cooperation with the Houston estate with Whitney’s sister-in-law and former manager Pat Houston serving as a producer on the film. The singer passed away in 2012 with six Grammy wins to her name.
