A highly anticipated film adaptation of The Color Purple musical releases widely on Dec. 25, 2023. Reports have said pop singer Ciara has a role in the film. We can confirm if that’s the case, and if so, which part she plays.
The Color Purple casting news is particularly pertinent because none other than Oprah Winfrey herself made her big screen debut in the 1985 Steven Spielberg movie, scoring Winfrey an Oscar nom. Both the 1985 film and the 2023 musical remake are based on the 1982 book by Alice Walker.
Furthermore, the new movie version of The Color Purple, scheduled to hit theaters, was adapted from a hit Broadway version by Marsha Norman, with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray.
That version of the show has had several successful runs on Broadway since 2005, and both Winfrey and Spielberg were instrumental in bringing it to the big screen.
So, Alice Walker’s story transformed into a musical seems like a perfect fit for a Grammy Award-winning singer like Ciara, and as we found out, the new movie’s producers agreed.
Ciara plays Nettie
News that Ciara had joined the cast of The Color Purple musical came from Ciara via X, formerly Twitter. In her post, Ciara wrote: “Honored to be a part of this beautiful ensemble and historic film, The Color Purple. Truly grateful,” followed by — appropriately enough — a purple heart emoji.
In the Broadway movie adaptation, directed by Blitz Bazawule, Ciara will play Nettie as an adult, the younger sister of Celie portrayed in the new musical version by American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, People reported.
As well as Ciara, the new The Color Purple musical movie also stars Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, and the musician H.E.R.
Ciara’s turn as Nettie is not the first movie role for the recording artist, either. She was in the 2011 musical Mama, I Want to Sing! and starred alongside Adam Sandler in That’s My Boy, among other films and TV shows. Ciara otherwise has seven studio albums. Her latest, Beauty Marks, came out in 2019.
Finally, The Color Purple movie is not the only new arrival Ciara is expecting this year.
She’s married to NFL QB Russell Wilson, and at The Color Purple‘s Dec. 6 “Purple Carpet” premiere in Hollywood, the star grabbed headlines when she wore a glamorous “baby bump” revealing outfit.
