Whitney Houston Biopic ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ in the Works From Director Stella Meghie
“Bohemian Rhapsody” screenwriter Anthony McCarten is writing the script with the support of the singer’s estate
Brian Welk | April 22, 2020 @ 1:34 PM
Last Updated: April 22, 2020 @ 2:08 PM
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A biopic on the life of superstar Whitney Houston is starting to take shape, as “The Photograph” director Stella Meghie is set to direct the film “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” with the support of Houston’s estate, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Anthony McCarten, the screenwriter behind “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is writing the script that’s meant to cover her prime as a performer, including her work on “The Bodyguard” and her performance of the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl, while alluding to her tragic death in 2012. The film will also feature many of Houston’s hit songs.
Grammy-winning music producer Clive Davis, who signed Houston to Arista Records when she was 19, is producing the film along with Primary Wave Entertainment and Pat Houston on behalf of the Houston estate. Davis is producing on behalf of Primary Wave along with Larry Mestel and Denis O’Sullivan. McCarten is also producing on behalf of his Muse of Fire Productions banner. Primary Wave Music is a partner of the Whitney Houston estate.
The producers describe “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” as a “joyous, emotional and heart-breaking celebration of the life and music of the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom. While being very frank about the price that super-stardom exacted, it will be both the rich and complex saga of the search for the perfect marriage between song and singer and audience, and at the same time the moving tale of a simple Jersey girl trying to find her way back home.”
The film has yet to be set at a distributor or studio, and no details on casting have been unveiled. The project came together after Davis first approached McCarten for the idea for a biopic last April. The project is being independently financed.
“From all my personal and professional experience with Whitney from her late teenage years to her tragic premature death, I know the full Whitney Houston story has not yet been told,” Davis said in a statement. “I am so glad that Anthony McCarten has committed to a no holds barred, musically rich screenplay that finally reveals the whole Whitney whose vocal genius deeply affected the world while she fiercely battled the demons that were to be her undoing.”
“The Estate of Whitney Houston is more than elated to be involved with a group of people that are as passionate about Whitney’s life story as we are. Whitney’s legacy deserves only the best that can be given. I stand with the hearts of these partners being the chosen ones to produce a film that’s uplifting and inspiring to all that loved her, giving you a reason to continue to celebrate The Voice that we all fell in love with and will cherish forever,” Pat Houston said in a statement.
“Whitney Houston was the voice of a generation and who better to tell her story then than Pat Houston, Clive Davis and the Oscar-nominated and award-winning Anthony McCarten. Anthony is a proven storyteller and we are honored to have the most ‘in demand’ screenwriter in the business as our partner on this important project,” Mestel said in a statement.
“We are incredibly lucky to have the support and input of many of the key people who knew Whitney the best and who were there at the time, in the making of this film. I am working closely with all of them, to authentically tell the extraordinary story of a peerless talent, taken from us too soon. Recreating for the big screen those unforgettable performances, those beloved songs, and that incredible journey, will be an enormous responsibility, undertaking, privilege and delight for myself and for our entire team,” McCarten said in a statement.
Guinness World Records has credited Houston as the most-awarded female artist of all time. She won a Grammy for her song from “The Bodyguard,” “I Will Always Love You.” She’s won six Grammys, two Emmys, sold over 200 million records worldwide, and all seven of her albums and two soundtrack albums have gone either gold, platinum or multi-platinum, according to the RIAA.
11 Highest-Grossing Music Biopics, From Tupac's 'All Eyez on Me' to Elton John's 'Rocketman' (Photos)
A look back at Hollywood's most successful musical biopics, whose subjects range from Tupac to Ritchie Valens to Elton John. (All box office totals are for domestic ticket sales.)
11. "All Eyez On Me" (2017) $44.9 million Critics were not impressed by Benny Boom's biopic on the life and career of Tupac Shakur, but fans of the late rapper showed up en masse on its opening weekend to help the film beat box-office expectations and earn nearly $45 million at the box office.
Lionsgate/Summit
10. "Jersey Boys" (2014) $47 million Clint Eastwood is known for directing grittier films like "The 15:17 to Paris" and "The Mule," but he also contributed to musical history with a 2014 jukebox drama about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, which earned $47 million domestically and $67 million worldwide.
Warner Bros.
9. "Amadeus" (1984) $51.9 million Thirty-five years after its release, the Best Picture Oscar-winning adaptation of Peter Shaffer's play is still charming fans of Mozart ... and infuriating classical music scholars who insist that Antonio Salieri did not poison him.
Orion Pictures
8. "La Bamba" (1987) $54.2 million Ritchie Valens, writer of "La Bamba" and Pacoima's cherished native son, became known as much for his tragic death in a plane crash at the age of 17 as he was for his music. "La Bamba," starring Lou Diamond Phillips as the iconic rock star, goes deep into the family behind the guitar player, and how teenage fame forced Valens to make tough decisions.
Columbia Pictures
7. "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1980) $67 million In 1976, country star Loretta Lynn released a bestselling memoir, and plans were quickly set in motion to turn it into a biopic. "Coal Miner's Daughter" became both a Best Picture Oscar nominee and one of the top-grossing films of 1980. Sissy Spacek, who was personally picked by Lynn to play her, won the Best Actress Oscar.
Universal
6. "Ray" (2004) $75.3 million Speaking of Oscar winners, Jamie Foxx earned his Oscar 15 years ago for his depiction of Ray Charles in this biopic that also starred future Oscar winner Regina King. Charles' death four months before the film's release raised the biopic's profile, and Foxx honored Charles' memory during his Oscar acceptance speech.
Universal
5. "I Can Only Imagine" (2018) $83 million One of the biggest surprises of the 2018 box office was this film about Christian songwriter Bart Millard, who wrote the hit MercyMe song "I Can Only Imagine" in honor of his father. The film was such a hit that directors Andrew and Joe Erwin launched a new Christian film studio, Kingdom Studios, which has a first-look deal with Lionsgate.
Roadside Attractions
4. "Rocketman" (2019)$96.4 million As executive producer on a biopic fantasy musical about his life, Elton John demanded that "Rocketman" be an R-rated film because he "didn't lead a PG-13 life." Taron Egerton's performance blew away critics, as the film became a popular alternative to big summer sequels.
Paramount
3. "Walk The Line" (2005) $119.5 million Joaquin Phoenix earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as the legendary Johnny Cash, while Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress for her turn as Cash's wife, June. For 10 years, "Walk The Line" stood as the highest-grossing music biopic ever, until it was dethroned by...
Fox
2. "Straight Outta Compton" (2015) $161.2 million Made with the approval of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre and starring Cube's son, O'Shea, "Straight Outta Compton" pushed the biopic genre deeper into the realm of hip-hop with a retelling of N.W.A..'s career that gained an extra level of topicality with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. The film also elevated the career of director F. Gary Gray, who would go on to direct installments in the "Fast & Furious" and "Men in Black" franchises.
Universal
1. "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018) $216.7 million There may be another music biopic in the future that passes "BoRhap"'s domestic total, but its worldwide total looks like it will stay atop the charts for a long time. With $903 million grossed globally and a Best Actor Oscar for lead star Rami Malek, it will likely enjoy a legacy as the most well-recognized music biopic ever made.
20th Century Fox
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Far and away, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is king
A look back at Hollywood's most successful musical biopics, whose subjects range from Tupac to Ritchie Valens to Elton John. (All box office totals are for domestic ticket sales.)