Black Is King filmmaker is working on a The Color Purple musical

Blitz Bazawule, the director behind Beyoncé’s stunning visual album Black Is King, is working on an adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Color Purple.

The adaptation, which was announced as part of Warner Bros’ 2023 rollout, is based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name, itself based on the 1982 novel.

Oprah Winfrey is producing the film under her Harpo Films banner, as well as Steven Spielberg under Amblin Entertainment, Scott Sanders, and Quincy Jones.

Walker’s novel was adapted into an Academy Award-nominated drama by Steven Spielberg, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, in 1985. It follows a young African-American girl named Celie Harris growing up in the early 20th century as she struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father.

Details surrounding the remake have yet to be announced, but if the fashion and beauty looks in Black Is King are anything to go by, we’re in for a treat.

The feature adaptation of the musical The Color Purple will hit theaters on December 20, 2023. Watch a clip from the 1985 film below.