A Whitney Houston biopic called I Wanna Dance With Somebody is in the works and is expected to be released by Christmas. It was reportedly a long process to find an actress to play Whitney but Naomi Ackie was finally chosen. While Naomi will appear in the film as Whitney, Whitney’s real singing voice will be heard.
Producer Clive Davis, who was also one of the people responsible for helping start Whitney’s career, said, “We were very impressed that Whitney’s persona was being captured. The (singing) voice, of course, will be Whitney’s. When it came to Whitney, we just didn’t think anyone could capture her vocal genius, so it will be the Whitney voice in the film.”
A Whitney Houston biopic is in the works
The executive producer, Stella Meghie added, “We spent the better part of the last year in an exhaustive search for an actress who could embody Whitney Houston. Naomi Ackie impressed us at every stage of the process. I was moved by her ability to capture the stage presence of a global icon while bringing humanity to her interior life.” The film is being directed by Kasi Lemmons.
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In addition to the biopic film, a Broadway musical is also in the works. So far, the trailer has not yet been released but a movie posted was shared to help promote the biopic. In the poster, Naomi looks exactly like Whitney and appears to wear the outfit from the music video for “So Emotional,” which came out in 1987.
The film also stars Ashton Sanders as Whitney’s ex-husband Bobby Brown, Bria Danielle Singleton as late daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, Nafessa Williams as Whitney’s former assistant Robyn Crawford, and Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis.
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