From Fortune:



Fantasia Barrino did not initially want to play the role of Celie. Barrino had a challenging the time on Broadway. Director Blitz Bazawule had a different vision and wanted to give Celie an imagination, which intrigued Barrino.

Now, four decades after “The Color Purple” became a sensation, a musical starring Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, and Danielle Brooks opens in theaters. Oprah Winfrey is one of several producers. The director, not an obvious candidate for the film, wanted large scale musical numbers. The movie also gives new boldness to Celie and Shug’s relationship with one another and added dimensions to the male characters and is part of a bigger movement to tell stories with primarily Black casts.

Though the film is expected to be revered, the director is not particularly interested in the “dog and pony show” of awards season, thinking their job was to honor Alice Walker’s brilliant book. Meanwhile, the cast and crew find transcendent experiences and growth through working on “The Color Purple”.



Read more: How ‘The Color Purple’ became a $100 million musical adaptation