The Color Purple trailer reveals emotional musical adaptation of the beloved classic

Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new trailer for The Color Purple. Based on the novel by Alice Walker and the musical stage play, The Color Purple is a “bold new take on the beloved classic” about “the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share one unbreakable bond.“

Directed by Blitz Bazawule (Black Is King), The Color Purple stars Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures), Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black), Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead), Corey Hawkins (In the Heights), H.E.R. (Judas and the Black Messiah), Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (If Beale Street Could Talk), and Fantasia Barrino, who makes her major motion picture debut in the film.

The Color Purple was first adapted by Steven Spielberg in 1985. The film, which starred Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Danny Glover, was a big success and was nominated for eleven Oscars (including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay) but didn’t take home a single award. Director Blitz Bazaule told Total Film that this new adaptation presents the story for a new generation. “It’s like how do you create something that is new, but honors the source? That was the job,” Bazawule said. “We know that this Color Purple is for a new generation. The context is evergreen, as long as there continue to be issues of gender bias, issues of domestic abuse, issues of racial inequality, and penal systems that have bias. All these things are central to what The Color Purple is – and if you look out your window, it’s happening today.“

Oprah Winfrey is a producer on the new adaptation of The Color Purple and said that it represents a “full circle moment” for her. “The Color Purple changed the trajectory of my life,” Winfrey said. “It was the beginning of the ascension of everything that happened in my life, so it was emotional.“

The Color Purple will hit theaters in North America on December 25th, followed by an international release starting on January 18, 2024. What did you think of the first trailer for the musical adaptation of The Color Purple?