Lately making films about famous people that have influenced society politically, socially, and ever musically has become very popular in the industry. In this case, music has been a mass influence since its beginnings. The United States has a huge amount of music artists right now such as Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Lana Del Rey, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and so forth. Yet if we go back to previous decades, the most influential artists were Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and Whitney Houston. The last one mentioned will have a film due on December 23, 2022. The movie titled I Wanna Dance with Somebody (named after her hit of the same name). Here is everything we know so far about the film.
Premise, director, writer, and producer
It is an upcoming biographical musical film based on Whitney Houston’s personal life. Houston is also known as an American pop icon. The film is directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by Anthony McCarten. Her former record producer Clive Davis is the producer of the film. I Wanna Dance with Somebody will take a closer look at the life and career of cultural icon Whitney Houston.
Who stars in the film?
Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston, Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis (Whitney’s record producer). Ashton Sanders as Bobby Brown (Whitney’s husband), Tamara Tunie as Cissy Houston (Whitney’s mother), Nafessa Williams as Robyn Crawford (Whitney’s friend and assistant), Clarke Peters as John Houston (Whitney’s father), Bria Danielle Singleton as Bobby Kristina Brown (Whitney and Bobby’s daughter) and Ali Asghar Shah as Ali (Whitney’s friend).
How was the production process?
At first on April 22, 2020, Stella Meghie was set to direct a Whitney Houston biopic titled the same name of the film, alongside Anthony McCarten and Clive David. On August 4 of the same year, TriStar Pictures acquired the film and in 2021 Lemmons took over directing duties and Meghie served as an executive producer. I Wanna Dance with Somebody trailer is available on Youtube through Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Related to the cast, in 2020, Ackie was cast to play Houston, meanwhile, Sanders, Tucci, Williams, Peters, and Tunie were all cast in 2021.
Principal photography was expected to begin on August 9, 2021, in places like Newark, New Jersey, and Boston, Massachusetts. Some shots were taken in Arlington, Massachusetts, Worcester Regional Airport, Wang Theater, Culter Majestic, and Gillette Stadium.
Whitney Houston as a cultural icon
Whitney Houston was originally from Newark, New Jersey, she was nicknamed “The Voice” and is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with around 200 million records worldwide. She has become the influence of many singers in the industry. She is also known for her powerful vocals and vocal improvisation skills.
Houston became the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Her most popular songs are “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, “I Will Always Love You”, “Higher Love” and so forth.
Moving on to her achievements. Whitney received numerous accolades throughout her career, including two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, sixteen Billboard Music Awards and 28 Guiness World Records, she also entered into the Grammy Rhtyhm and Blues Music, and Rock and Roll halls of fame.
Whitney Houston passed away in 2012 after she was found unconscious, submerged in the bathtub, a month later the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office reported that Houston’s cause of death was drowning and the effects atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use. It was also confirmed that the amount of cocaine on Whitney’s body indicated she used the drug before her death.
Even though Whitney Houston is not physically in the music industry she is definitely not forgotten since she has been a big influence in music.
Andrea Rich
