Directed by Blitz Bazawule from a script by Marcus Gardley, Alice Walker’s novel comes to life on the big screen once again with this stage-to-screen adaptation of the classic coming-of-age story. Fantasia Barrino leads the cast in her feature film debut as Celie, who, despite a life of hardships (from personal to societal), finds strength and solace in sisterhood. Featuring an A-list ensemble including Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey, Colman Domingo, Taraji P. Henson, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., and more, the Oscar-nominated “The Color Purple” makes its streaming debut on Max on Friday, Feb. 16. You can watch with a subscription to Max.
How to Watch 'The Color Purple'
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About 'The Color Purple'
“The Color Purple” takes on a new hue as Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray, and Marsha Norman’s multi-Tony Award-winning musical adaptation gets its stage-to-screen adaptation.
Directed by Blitz Bazawule (“Black Is King,” “The Burial of Kojo”) from a script by playwright Marcus Gardley, the new adaptation, which premiered in theaters on Dec. 25, 2023, is the second film adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel, following the 1985’s 11-time Oscar nominee starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Adolph Caesar, Akosua Busia, Adolph Caesar, and Willard Pugh, among others.
Produced by the original film team of Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders, and Quincy Jones, the new take still follows the classic story of Celie (played by Fantasia Barrino in her feature film debut), who, after being torn away from her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) and her children, endures a life of further hardships, including an abusive husband simply called Mister (Colman Domingo). With the support of sultry singer Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson) and stand-her-ground stepdaughter Sofia (Danielle Brooks), Celie ultimately finds extraordinary strength in the unbreakable bonds of a new kind of sisterhood.
The cast also features Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Louis Gossett, Jr., Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Ciara, Jon Batiste, David Alan Grier, Deon Cole, and more.
The stage musical debuted in 2005 on Broadway and earned 11 Tony nominations, winning one. Its acclaimed revival in 2015, which starred Cynthia Erivo as Celie, Jennifer Hudson as Shug Avery, Brooks as Sofia, Isaiah Johnson as Mister, Kyle Scatliffe as Harpo, and Joaquina Kalukango as Nettie, won Erivo Best Actress in a Musical and Best Revival of a Musical. (Brooks was nominated for her role, as well.)
The musical adaptation has been nominated for and won several accolades this awards season, including an Oscar nomination for Brooks, two SAG Award nominations, two BAFTA Film Award nominations (Barrino and Brooks), two SAG Award nominations (Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, as well as a solo nomination for Brooks), and more.
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'The Color Purple' Trailer
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