*British actress Naomi Ackie has been tapped to play Whitney Houston in the forthcoming Clive Davis/Sony biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
The film follows Houston’s life and rise to fame. The legendary singer passed away in 2012. Davis previously said that the project will be a “no holds barred” portrait of the artist, and he won’t sugar-coat anything.
Speaking to Variety, Davis, who signed Whitney to her record contract and was her mentor, said, “I have a mission here. I have a mission to make sure that for all time that the full picture of Whitney Houston is captured in a no-holds-barred film that is musically rich and shows her genius and more of her character than we have seen to date.”
In the Variety podcast “Strictly Business,” Davis explained that he and “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Two Popes” screenwriter Anthony McCarten teamed to develop the script and to raise their own financing.
“There was a fierce competition for the movie,” Davis says. “I’m happy to say the reaction to the script was good. Almost every studio head called to tell me about their passion for the project. They know Whitney has been captured and the opportunity here is so special and unique.”
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Stella Meghie (The Photograph) is set to direct the project.
“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,” Meghie told Variety.
Ackie is best known for her role on Netflix’s “The End of the F***Ing World.” She’s also starred in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and Steve McQueen’s new anthology series “Small Axe”.
“Naomi Ackie’s screen test was so powerful, it sent shivers up my spine,” producer Clive Davis told Variety. “Although Whitney’s incomparable vocals are used for all the songs, Naomi’s extraordinary acting range enables her to masterfully capture Whitney’s unique charm, star power and, of course, her personal struggles. Naomi is the real deal and I can’t imagine a better choice for this iconic role.”
Houston’s longtime manager, Pat Houston, previously suggested that Taraji P. Henson should take on the role.
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is set to release the week of Thanksgiving 2022.
