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Another Oscar on the Way For H.E.R.? The Singer Signs on to The Colour Purple Movie Musical

29/08/2021 - 05:40 PM

Alice Walker's acclaimed The Colour Purple is being adapted once more. Decades after Steven Spielberg [1]'s 1985 adaptation received accolades, a film is in the works inspired by the similarly lauded stage musical, which originally ran from 2005 to 2008, and then again from 2015 to 2017. With casting now underway, it's been announced that the film will also see the acting debut of H.E.R.

H.E.R. has reportedly been cast as aspiring singer Squeak [2], according to The Hollywood Reporter. The role was portrayed by Rae Dawn Chong in the 1985 film, and Krisha Marcano in the original Broadway run. Corey Hawkins was also recently added to the cast [3], in news shared by Deadline, although his role has not yet been announced.

Slated to direct is Black Is King codirector Blitz Bazawule, while Oprah Winfrey [4], whose portrayal of Sofia in the Spielberg adaptation earned her an Oscar nomination, has signed on as a producer. It'll be quite a while before this movie musical hits theatres, however, as the release date is currently set for Dec. 20, 2023. In the meantime, scroll ahead to learn more about the Colour Purple cast so far.

H.E.R. as Squeak

H.E.R. will make her acting debut as Squeak in the Colour Purple movie musical. The character is a juke-joint waitress and singer wrapped up in a romance with her boss, Harpo.

H.E.R. released her debut album, Back of My Mind, in June 2021. Though she has no prior acting credits, H.E.R. already has an Oscar: "Fight for You," which she wrote for Judas and the Black Messiah [6], earned her the award for best original song [7].

Corey Hawkins

Corey Hawkins will also appear in The Colour Purple. Although his role hasn't been officially confirmed, Deadline reported that he will be playing Harpo [8]. The character was portrayed by Willard E. Pugh in the film, and Brandon Victor Dixon in the original stage adaptation.

Hawkins is a Juilliard alum who's previously appeared in BlacKkKlansman, Straight Outta Compton, and 6 Underground. Most recently, he played Benny in the In the Heights film. His role in the 2017 revival of Six Degrees of Separation earned him a Tony Award nomination for best actor in a play.


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