Grammy Award Winner Jon Batiste To Make Acting Debut In The Color Purple
Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that five-time Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste will make his acting debut in the role of Grady, husband to Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson) in The Color Purple. The debonair, sweet-talking piano man is described as “the epitome of charm and eloquence.”
Production began this March in Atlanta. It is a story of triumph over adversity and is one of the most beloved, celebrated and inspiring family stories in our culture today - it has touched the hearts of millions of people around the world.
This fresh cinematic re-imagining of The Color Purple - featuring magical realism, music and dancing to tell the story - will delight lovers of earlier versions of The Color Purple as well as introduce these beloved characters to an entirely new generation of fans.
This new musical feature of The Color Purple is a screen adaptation of the stage musical which has been recognized with Tony Award, Grammy Award and Emmy Award wins.
He joins a cast that includes the following
Fantasia Barrino as Celie, in her feature debut
Ciara as Nettie
Danielle Brooks (HBO Max’s The Peacemaker, Netflix’s Orange is the New Black) as Sofia
Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, TV’s Empire) as Shug Avery
Aunjanue Ellis s the role of Mama, Celie’s and Nettie’s mother
Colman Domingo (Zola, Lincoln) as Mister
Corey Hawkins (In the Heights, Straight Outta Compton) as Harpo
Halle Bailey (TV’s Grown-ish) as Young Nettie
H.E.R. as Squeak, in her feature debut
Louis Gossett Jr. (An Officer and a Gentleman, TV’s Roots) as Ol’ Mister
David Alan Grier (Native Son, Netflix’s Dad Stop Embarrassing Me) as Reverand Avery
Tamela J. Mann (Madea Goes to Jail, Diary of a Mad Black Woman) as First Lady
Phylicia Mpasi as Young Celie, in her feature debut
Deon Cole (The Harder They Fall, TV’s Black-ish) as Alfonso
Stephen Hill (TV’s Magnum P.I., Widows) as Buster