Taraji P. Henson Reportedly Cast As ‘Shug Avery’ In The Upcoming Film Adaptation Of ‘The Color Purple’ Musical

#Roommates, the highly-anticipated film adaptation of the Tony award-winning musical The Color Purple just landed a major star in the form of Golden Globe winner Taraji P. Henson. According to recent reports, Taraji P. Henson has been cast to play the role of Shug Avery in the upcoming film adaptation of The Color Purple’ directed by Blitz Bazawule.

Coming off her crowd-pleasing role in the recent NBC live adaptation of Annie! playing Miss Hannigan, Taraji P. Henson is reportedly headed back to the big screen to flex her vocal chops once again. @Variety reports, in the role originally played by Margaret Avery in the 1985 Oscar-nominated film, Taraji P. Henson is now set to tackle the role of Shug Avery in the forthcoming film adaptation of the musical version of The Color Purple. Back in August, it was announced that H.E.R. would be making her feature film debut in the project in the role of Squeak. The highly-coveted roles of Celie, Mister and Sophia have yet to be cast.

The Warner Bros. film is slated to hit theaters on December 20, 2023and will be directed by Blitz Bazawule, who is currently best known for his work on Beyoncs Black is King and OWN networks Cherish the Day. Additionally, Corey Hawkins (most known for portraying Dr. Dre in Straight Out Of Compton’) will take on the role of Harpo in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, which is also adapted from Alice Walkers Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

There will also be a strong presence of those who starred and collaborated on the 1985 film. Oprah Winfrey (who made her film debut as Sophia) will be producing through her Harpo Films and the films original director Steven Spielberg through his own Amblin Entertainment.

Meanwhile, Quincy Jones, who created the score for the original film and produced the Broadway musical, will also produce this new adaptation, joined by Alice Walker, one of the films multiple executive producers.

Want updates directly in your text inbox? Hit us up at 917-722-8057 or click here to join!