Ten years after the passing of the great and legendary singer Whitney Houston, a biopic is set to be released honoring the icon’s life, but not everyone is happy about it premiering on the big screen.
Dionne Warwick, the aunt and mentor to the Waiting to Exhale star said “I am not a fan of the fact that they decided to do that. That doesn’t please me at all…They need to let Whitney rest. Leave her alone.”
She further added that she is not happy about a hologram tour owners of Houston’s estate began planning in 2015. The performances showcased a 3D version of Whitney’s likeness for fans to experience in venues across America.
“You can never recreate Whitney,” Warwick said.
Houston’s mother, Pat Houston thinks it will be a good way for fans to relive the I Will Always Love You star.
“It’s a great opportunity for her fans to see a reinvention of one the most celebrated female artists in history and to continue a legacy of performances that will not be forgotten in years to come,” Houston’s mother said when she made the announcement in 2015.
Naomi Ackle will play Houston in the movie entitled I Wanna Dance With Somebody and will feature supporting roles including Clive Davis, played by Stanley Tucci. The movie is expected to be released in December and take viewers on a journey of the star’s anonymity to international stardom, leading her to become one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
In addition to her career triumphs, the biopic will also explore her struggles with fame, drug addiction, her on-again-off-again relationship with New Edition star Bobby Brown and her rumored affair with friend and assistant Robyn Crawford.
“We spent the better part of the last year in an exhaustive search for an actress who could embody Whitney Houston,” director Stella Meghie said, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Naomi Ackie impressed us at every stage of the process. I was moved by her ability to capture the stage presence of a global icon while bringing humanity to her interior life.”
The film is directed by Kasi Lemmons and produced by Clive Davis, Anthony McCarten and Pat Houston under Compelling Pictures and Black Label Media. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures.
Producers told Deadline that they aim to make a “joyous, emotional and heart-breaking celebration of the life and music of the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom. While being very frank about the price that super-stardom exacted, it will be both the rich and complex saga of the search for the perfect marriage between song and singer and audience, and at the same time the moving tale of a simple Jersey girl trying to find her way back home.”
