Kasi Lemmons, the director of the Harriet Tubman biopic “Harriet,” has occur aboard as the director on the Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” an specific with expertise told TheWrap.
Lemmons replaces “The Photograph” director Stella Meghie on the undertaking, who sources say exited the movie more than innovative variances.
Naomi Ackie is established to star as the famed singer Whitney Houston in the film, which is becoming made with the help of Houston’s estate and will contain a seem at her total existence and vocation as perfectly as a journey by means of her songs. Anthony McCarten of “Bohemian Rhapsody” wrote the screenplay.
Alongside McCarten’s Muse of Fireplace Productions, the film is becoming developed by Pat Houston (“Whitney”) on behalf of the Houston Estate, Grammy-winning tunes producer Clive Davis, Larry Mestel on behalf of Key Wave New music and Denis O’Sullivan (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) and Jeff Kalligheri (“Submergence:), who are also financing by using Persuasive Photos.
Sony’s TriStar Pics is dealing with distribution on “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and has set the film for a Thanksgiving 2022 release date.
Kasi Lemmons’ prior feature movie was 2019’s “Harriet,” which starred Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman and attained the actress an Oscar nomination for her functionality. Her debut “Eve’s Bayou” was just lately selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’ Countrywide Movie Registry. She’s currently at work on her up coming attribute “The Shadow King” centered on a novel by Maaza Mengiste, as effectively as “Ring Shout,” a series centered on the novel by P. Djéli Clark for Skydance Television set.
Lemmons is represented by The Gersh Agency and Nina Shaw at Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano.
Deadline to start with claimed the news.