Jon Batiste , musician and composer who recently won the Grammy for album of the year ( We Are ) and won an Oscar for the soundtrack of Soul.
Has joined the cast of The Color Purple , the film that will adapt the musical based on The Color Purple by Steven Spielberg . For him it will be his debut as an actor.
Batiste will play Grady, an affable pianist who is a model of charm and eloquence. Grady is also the husband of Shug Avery ( Taraji P. Henson ). In Spielberg’s version, the role was played by Bennet Guillory .
A native of New Orleans, Batiste received eleven Grammy Award nominations in 2021 (later winning the award for the best album of the year). The artist is also known for being the musical director of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . Historically, Batiste is only the second black composer to win an Oscar for Best Score, after Herbie Hancock for Round Midnight , in 1987.
Francesca Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson, HER, Halle Bailey, Corey Hawkins and Colman Domingo make up the rest of the cast cast so far. The film will be directed by Blitz Bazawule , one of the directors of Black Is King , Beyoncé ‘s visual album released on Disney + . The project, announced three years ago , will be produced by Steven Spielberg along with Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones (star and composer / producer of the original film) and Scott Sanders . The shooting of The Color Purple will start in spring, the release is scheduled for 2023.
The musical of The Color Purple
The Broadway musical, which won a Tony Award in 2005 (to actress LaChanze , who plays Celie), was written by Marsha Norman , while Brenda Russell , Allee Willis and Stephen Bray composed the music. She won two more Tony’s in 2015, her best revival and star Cynthia Erivo , her Broadway debut. The work includes jazz, ragtime, gospel, blues and African music.
The film version will be written by playwright Marcus Gardley . Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Carla Gardini and Mara Jacobs will be executive producers.