Ghana-born filmmaker Blitz Bazawule is set to direct Warner Bros' musical film The Color Purple based on the Tony-winning Broadway musical.
Bazawule most recently co-directed Beyoncé’s Disney+ visual album feature Black Is King. According to Deadline, the feature’s producers Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders, and Quincy Jones caught Bazawule’s movie The Burial Of Kojo on Netflix, and were wowed by his vibrant visual style. Following his zoom call pitch with the producers, Warner Brothers moved fast to sign Bazawule.
Marcus Gardley is set to write the screenplay based on The Color Purple Broadway reimagining of Alice Walker’s 1982 novel. The story depicts the lives of African American families and relationships in early twentieth-century Georgia.
The original Broadway musical debuted in 2005 with 11 Tony Award nominations in 2006 and winning for LaChanze’s role as Celie. The 2015 revival received four more Tony nominations and won for Best Revival of a Musical and for Cynthia Erivo in her Broadway debut. The musical has also won Grammy and Emmy awards. Spielberg directed and produced the 11-time Oscar-nominated 1985 film. Oprah Winfrey made her feature debut in the original movie and earned a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.
Photo: Getty