Continuing the wave of winning five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year in early April, Jon Batiste is now turning his attention to the art of acting.
The 35-year-old singer-songwriter has signed up to join the cast for the remake of The Color Purple, which will be backed by big names like producers Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones.
For his big-screen debut as an actor, Batiste will play Grady, a cute and lovable pianist who is Shug Avery’s husband. Deadline.
From music to acting: Jon Batiste, 35, is making his screen debut as a screen actor in the musical film adaptation of The Color Purple.
Many fans know Batiste as the bandleader and music director of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert since its launch in 2015.
He has also released six studio albums since 2005, the most recent being We Are, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2022. Batiste has also released three collaborative albums, two soundtrack albums, and five live albums.
Born in New Orleans, a Juilliard School graduate, he has received numerous accolades throughout his music career, including the BAFTA Award he shared with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and the Academy Award for Best Original Score for Soul.
In addition to 11 nominations and five Grammy awards a few weeks ago, the musician also has three more nominations: St. Best American Roots Performance for James Infirmary Blues (2019), Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Chronology of a Dream: Live a The Village Vanguard (2021), and Best New Age Album Meditations (Shared with Cory Wong), also in 2021 .
Batiste was hired this year to curate a series of Carnegie Hall concerts.
Critically acclaimed: Batiste won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year; Pictured at the 64th Grammy Awards held in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022.
The Color Purple follows the lifelong struggle of an African-American woman living in the South in the early 1900s.
Fantasia Barrino stars Celie Harris as Colman Domingo (Mister), Taraji P. Henson (Shug Avery), Corey Hawkins (Harpo), Danielle Brooks (Sofia), HER (Squeak), Ciara (Nettie), Louis Gossett Jr. plays with. (The old gentleman) and David Alan Grier (Reverend Avery), among others.
Directed by Blitz Bazawule, the film is an adaptation of the 2005 Tony-winning Broadway musical. The film of the same name is based on the 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker.
Rebecca Walker, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Carla Gardini and Mara Jacobs are executive producers.
Scott Sanders is also one of the producers who, along with Spielberg, directed and produced the 1985 original film; Winfrey, who? brings her acting experience as Sofia in her first movie; just like Quincy Jones was the producer.
Original: Steven Spielberg’s version of The Color Purple (1985) starring Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover as Celia and Mister
Come back for more: Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Quincy Jones, who appeared in the 1985 film version, all serve as producers on the new musical film adaptation.
The Spielberg version, starring Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Harris and Danny Glover as “Mister” Albert Johnson, received critical acclaim for Goldberg’s performance as well as acting, including directing, script, soundtrack, and production values.
It became a blockbuster movie, grossing $142 million on a budget of just $15 million.
The original Broadway musical ran from 2005 to 2008 and made money In 2006, 11 Tony Award nominations, Best Actress in a Musical as Celie with LaChanze.
A hit Broadway revival began in late 2015 and took place in early 2017, earning her two Tony Awards for her debut on Broadway, including Best Revival in a Musical and Cynthia Erivo Best Actress in a Musical.
The musical also won Grammy and Emmy Awards.
Shooting of the new musical in training costume Production began in March 2022 and took place at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island off the Georgia coast.
The Color Purple will hit US theaters on December 20, 2023.
At the helm: Blitz Bazawule, 39, is directing a new musical version of The Color Purple, which will hit US theaters on December 20, 2023.
Source: Daily Mail
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
