Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Ashton Sanders Tapped to Play Bobby Brown in Whitney Houston Biopic

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Ashton Sanders attends The 2019 Met Gala / Getty

*Ashton Sanders has been cast as Bobby Brown in the forthcoming Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”.

The film follows Houston’s life and rise to fame. Executive Producer Clive Davis previously said that the project will be a “no holds barred” portrait of the artist, and he won’t sugar-coat anything. 

We previously reported that Stella Meghie is out as director of the biopic and Kasi Lemmons has been tapped to replace her.

Lemmons told Deadline: “Early in my writing career I developed two projects for Whitney and I had the opportunity to meet her. She was a tremendous, incomparable artist and her story is as awe-inspiring as it is tragic. I feel privileged to be part of bringing her life story and music to the audience.”

READ MORE: Clive Davis’ Whitney Houston Biopic Gets New Director

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Naomi Ackie / Getty

British actress Naomi Ackie will portray Houston in the forthcoming Clive Davis/Sony biopic. 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”.

Ackie said: “Preparing to play Whitney Houston has been an incredible experience. I’ve learnt so much more about her and myself than I could have imagined. I’m so excited to get on that film set and honour her legacy! With Kasi on board, I know we can create something truly wonderful.”

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.”

The legendary singer passed away in 2012.

“Naomi Ackie’s screen test was so powerful, it sent shivers up my spine,” 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.”

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is set to release the week of Thanksgiving 2022.

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