Let’s take a look at “I Wanna Dance With Somebody Trailer – Can Naomi Ackie Sing?” According to Sony, the new movie is “a no-holds-barred portrait of the complex and multifaceted woman behind The Voice,” chronicling her early years, rise to fame and “trailblazing life and career.” Starring Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston and Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis, the movie hits theaters December 21, 2022.
Sony is bringing the spirit of Whitney Houston to theaters.
The studio has released the first trailer for “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” a biographical drama about the life and times of the iconic singer.
“The End of the F***ing World” star Naomi Ackie has the daunting task of portraying the legendary vocal powerhouse in the film, along with a cast that includes Ashton Sanders as Bobby Brown and Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis. Clarke Peters will be playing John Houston, Whitney’s father, and Tamara Tunie will be portraying Cissy Houston, Whitney’s mother.
Sony describes “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” as a “no-holds-barred portrait of the complex and multifaceted woman behind The Voice.” The film recounts the story of a New Jersey choir girl who became one of the best-selling and most awarded recording artists of all time.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody Trailer – Can Naomi Ackie Sing? As She Transforms Into Whitney Houston
“My dream? Sing what I want to sing, be how I want to be,” Ackie’s Houston says in the trailer. “Reach as big an audience as I can.”
At one point in the clip, Houston is told a common criticism is that her music “isn’t Black enough,” to which she confidently responds: “Look, I don’t know how to sing Black, and I don’t know how to sing white either. I know how to sing.”
Anyone with the faintest awareness of Houston’s career — her biggest songs include “Greatest Love of All,” “I Have Nothing,” and, of course, the hit that inspired the film’s title “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” — knows that to be true. She became an instant sensation with her self-titled debut album in 1985, which was released by Davis and Arista Records, and she ushered out two No. 1 follow-ups with “Whitney” (1987) and “I’m Your Baby Tonight” (1990).
She made her acting debut alongside Kevin Costner in 1992’s romantic drama “The Bodyguard,” which became a commercial smash despite negative reviews. Houston later played the Fairy Godmother in “Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” and produced the Disney movies “The Princess Diaries” and “The Cheetah Girls.” Later in her career, Houston struggled with drug addiction and died in 2012 at age 48 from drowning in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub.
Kasi Lemmons, best known for “Harriet,” is directing “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” from a script by “Bohemian Rhapsody” screenwriter Anthony McCarten. Sony has scheduled the movie to release in theaters on Dec. 21.
First look at Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston [WATCH]
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” the official biopic of music icon Whitney Houston, is set to be released on December 21, 2022, according to Sony Pictures. London native Naomi Ackie will portray the legendary diva from Newark, New Jersey. The BAFTA-winning actress can now be seen as “The Voice” for the first time in a new trailer released on September 15.
Kasi Lemmons directs the biographical musical based on the life of one of the world’s biggest superstars. Lemmons’ previous directing credits include 2019’s “Harriet” starring Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo and 1997’s cult classic “Eve’s Bayou” starring Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is written by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten, whose previous screenplay credits include “The Theory of Everything” (2014), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018), and “The Two Popes” (2019).
The trailer begins by showing the night ARISTA Records founder Clive Davis (played by Stanley Tucci) discovers the young singer performing in her mother’s show at Sweetwaters nightclub in New York. It then takes us on a musical journey, revealing clips of various performances up until her appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2009. Most notably highlighted is her iconic rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV. Ackie lip-syncs to Houston’s actual vocals in the film
