Aside from Anthony McCarten, the 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' singer's estate and longtime mentor Clive Davis have also been in talk with 'The Photograph' filmmaker Stella Meghie to direct.
- Apr 23, 2020
AceShowbiz - Oscar-nominated "Bohemian Rhapsody" screenwriter Anthony McCarten has been tapped to pen the script for an upcoming Whitney Houston biopic.
The tragic superstar's estate officials have been working with Whitney's longtime mentor Clive Davis to develop "I Wanna Dance with Somebody", and now the project is taking shape with McCarten hired to adapt the singer's life story for the big screen.
According to Deadline.com, they have also entered talks with "The Photograph" filmmaker Stella Meghie to direct the movie, which has been described 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".
McCarten has become known for award-winning biopics - in addition to "Bohemian Rhapsody", which revolved around the life of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, played onscreen by Rami Malek, he was also the man behind Stephen Hawking film "The Theory of Everything", starring Eddie Redmayne, and Winston Churchill war drama "Darkest Hour" with Gary Oldman.
All three leading men took home Oscars for their performances.
McCarten also wrote 2019 Netflix release "The Two Popes", adapted from his own play, "The Pope", and is currently working on a Bee Gees biopic and a Broadway musical on the life of Neil Diamond.
Casting information has yet to be revealed, but Yaya DaCosta previously played the singer/actress in a 2015 TV movie simply titled "Whitney", directed by Angela Bassett.
Houston died in 2012, aged 48.
