Jon Batiste To Make Acting Debut In "The Color Purple" Remake

BYCole BlakeUpdated on September 26, 20222.0K Views

Jon Batiste, The Color Purple

Jon Batiste has been cast in the upcoming remake of "The Color Purple."

Fresh off of winning five Grammy awards including Album Of The Year, Jon Batiste is set to make his acting debut after being cast in the upcoming remake of The Color Purple. The film is set to premiere in 2023.

Batiste will take on the role of Grady, who was played by Ben Guillory in Steven Spielberg's 1985 version of the film. Grady's wife, Shug Avery, will be played by Taraji P. Henson.

David Becker / Getty Images

The rest of the cast is rounded out by Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Coleman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Ciara, Elizabeth Marvel, David Alan Grier, Tamala J. Mann, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Deon Cole, Stephen Hill, Louis Gossett Jr., and Aunjanue Ellis.

The highly anticipated remake will be directed by Blitz Bazawule who is best known for 2020's Black Is King and 2018's The Burial of Kojo. The script was provided by Marcus Gardley, based on Alice Walker's 1982 novel.

"We were all blown away by Blitz's unique vision as a director and look forward to seeing how he brings the next evolution of this beloved story to life," Oprah Winfrey, who starred in the original, has said about the upcoming film.

The Color Purple is scheduled to hit theaters on December 20, 2023.

[Via]

About The Author

Cole Blake

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.