The woman known for her classic role as Cookie Lyon, Taraji P. Henson, has been casted as Shug Avery in the upcoming musical film, The Color Purple.
On social media, Oprah Winfrey took to Instagram to announce the full cast of the musical adaptation of the film that made a permanent dent in Black culture.
In a lengthy post Winfrey paid homage to the various versions of The Color Purple that came before the current version she is developing for the big screen. The film is so important to Black history and Black culture, that casting has to be done accurately and strategically.
“From day one we knew we had to find the right cast to live up to @blitzambassador directorial vision and Marcus Gardley’s magical script—and we found them in the knock-out @tasiasword (Celie), the mesmerizing @tarajiphenson (Shug), the charming @coreyhawkins (Harpo), the multi-faceted @hermusicofficial (Squeaky), the masterful @kingofbingo (Mister), and the beautiful and talented @hallebailey (Young Nettie). But Sofia has my heart and I am ready to pass the purple baton on to the incredible @daniebb3 who will bring her version to a new generation. See y’all at the movies when The Color Purple: The Musical hits theaters on December 20, 2023! 💜💜💜,” she wrote in her post.
Halle Bailey celebrated the news with a post that revealed the full cast. “feeling oh so grateful to be apart of this historic film as nettie🥰🥰thank you God ❤️,” she wrote.
While the cast has big shoes to fill, we are optimistic they’ll do the film justice. The combination of elite vocal powerhouses and established actors is the perfect formula for a history-making musical. Unfortunately, you’ll have to contain your excitement. The film debuts in December of 2023 – 23 months away. We’ll have to fawn over the spectacular cast while we wait. What do you think? Are you excited to see this lineup in The Color Purple?
