I Wanna Dance With Somebody trailer: Naomi Ackie shines as Whitney Houston

If being the most decorated female singer of all time and being dubbed “The Voice” aren’t honorific enough, Whitney Houston is now getting the biopic treatment. Now, the first trailer for I Wanna Dance With Somebody has dropped, showcasing Houston in all of her glory.

The trailer for I Wanna Dance with Somebody opens with Whitney Houston being forced to take the stage after her mother can’t perform. With famed record producer Clive Davis in the audience, Houston is soon in the spotlight. Guided by early single “How Will I Know”, various clips show Houston as both a commanding presence and the target of scrutiny for not making “black enough” music. Another key highlight is her performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV, one of the most iconic renditions of the song.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody plot: “The joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time. Tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.”

I Wanna Dance With Somebody will surely highlight other pivotal moments in the diva’s career, which still stands as one of the most impressive for any singer of any genre. Some potential inclusions: her commendable movie career (with turns in The Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale and more), the former’s showstopping cover of “I Will Always Love You” and her tragic death. In 2012, Whitney Houston was found dead in her bathtub, drowned and a victim to the “effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use.” She was 48.

The cast includes Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston, Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis, Ashton Sanders as Bobby Brown, and Tamara Tunie as Whitney’s mother, Cissy. The film is directed by Kasi Lemmons, whose experiences in biographical movies goes back to 2007’s Talk to Me and 2019’s Harriet.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody takes its name from one Whitney Houston’s most famous songs, which has played at just about every wedding since its release. I Wanna Dance With Somebody is due out in theaters on December 21.