Sparkle (2012 film)
Encyclopedia
Sparkle is an upcoming American film directed by Salim Akil and produdec by Stage 6 Films
, set for release in 2012 by TriStar Pictures
. Inspired by The Supremes
, Sparkle is a remake of the 1976 film
of the same name, which centered on three singing teenage sisters in late 1950s Harlem
who form a girl group
. The remake takes place in Detroit, Michigan
in 1968 during the Motown era.
The film stars Whitney Houston
, Jordin Sparks
, Mike Epps
, Cee-Lo Green, Carmen Ejogo
, Tika Sumpter
, and Omari Hardwick. Additionally, R&B artist R. Kelly
has signed on to write original songs to augment the original song score from the 1976 film by Curtis Mayfield
. This film will be the debut of R&B/pop
singer and American Idol
-winner Jordin Sparks as an actress, and marks Whitney Houston's first feature film role since The Preacher's Wife
in 1996.
in 1975 and released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1976, starred Phillip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara
, Lonette McKee
and Mary Alice
, with songs and score composed and produced by Curtis Mayfield
. One song from the Sparkle
soundtrack, "Something He Can Feel", became a hit single for both Aretha Franklin
(in 1976) and En Vogue
(in 1992), while the film itself became a cult classic
among African-American audiences.
In the mid-1990s, BrownHouse Productions, run by Whitney Houston
and Debra Martin Chase
, secured the rights to a Sparkle remake from Warner Bros. Houston had intended to cast R&B singer Aaliyah
in the lead as Sparkle, but Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001 before the film went into production. Following the 2011 release of their first feature, Jumping the Broom, Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil
, the creative team behind the African-American TV series The Game
, took on Sparkle as their next project, with Houston executive producing and starring as the mother of the three girls.
Production for the film began on October 10, 2011 in Detroit.
Stage 6 Films
Stage 6 Films is a label created by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions in fall 2007 that acquires, produces and distributes 10-15 low budget films and direct-to-DVD releases per year. It is Columbia TriStar's fifth specialty label. Overall, it's the 7th theatrical label by Sony Pictures...
, set for release in 2012 by TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film production/distribution studio and subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures...
. Inspired by The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, Sparkle is a remake of the 1976 film
Sparkle (1976 film)
Sparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and...
of the same name, which centered on three singing teenage sisters in late 1950s Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
who form a girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
. The remake takes place in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
in 1968 during the Motown era.
The film stars Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
, Mike Epps
Mike Epps
Michael Elliot "Mike" Epps is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, singer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, and also starring alongside Ice Cube in All About the Benjamins...
, Cee-Lo Green, Carmen Ejogo
Carmen Ejogo
Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo is a British actress, currently based in the United States.-Early life:Born and raised in London, Ejogo is the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Ejogo née Douglas. Her father is a Nigerian entrepreneur and her mother a Scottish tour guide. During her childhood, Ejogo...
, Tika Sumpter
Tika Sumpter
Euphemia "Tika" Sumpter is an American actress.Sumpter is known for her role as Layla Williamson on One Life to Live.-Private Life:...
, and Omari Hardwick. Additionally, R&B artist R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
has signed on to write original songs to augment the original song score from the 1976 film by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
. This film will be the debut of R&B/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
-winner Jordin Sparks as an actress, and marks Whitney Houston's first feature film role since The Preacher's Wife
The Preacher's Wife
The Preacher's Wife is a 1996 romantic-family-dramedy-christmas film directed by Penny Marshall, and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Loretta Devine. It is a remake of the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife....
in 1996.
Plot
Like the original film, this version of Sparkle will follow the three Williams sisters (Ejogo, Sumpter, Sparks), singers at their local church choir who eventually go on to become a successful girl group. Their sudden rise unravels their personal lives, and the youngest sister, a music prodigy named Sparkle, struggles to become a star while overcoming the issues that are tearing her family apart.Cast
- Whitney HoustonWhitney HoustonWhitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
as Emma - Jordin SparksJordin SparksJordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
as Sparkle - Derek LukeDerek LukeDerek Luke is an American actor. He won the Independent Spirit Award for his big-screen debut performance in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, directed and produced by Denzel Washington.-Early life:...
as Stix - Carmen EjogoCarmen EjogoCarmen Elizabeth Ejogo is a British actress, currently based in the United States.-Early life:Born and raised in London, Ejogo is the daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Ejogo née Douglas. Her father is a Nigerian entrepreneur and her mother a Scottish tour guide. During her childhood, Ejogo...
as Sister - Tika SumpterTika SumpterEuphemia "Tika" Sumpter is an American actress.Sumpter is known for her role as Layla Williamson on One Life to Live.-Private Life:...
as Delores - Omari HardwickOmari HardwickOmari Lateef Hardwick is an American actor, known for his roles in the TV series Saved and Dark Blue, and in the movies Spike Lee's Miracle at St...
as Levi - Cee-Lo Green as the girls' opening act
- Mike EppsMike EppsMichael Elliot "Mike" Epps is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, singer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, and also starring alongside Ice Cube in All About the Benjamins...
as Satin - Tamela MannTamela MannTamela J. Mann is an American actress and gospel singer, known for her role as Cora in Tyler Perry's plays, including I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion, Madea's Class Reunion, Meet the Browns, and What's Done in the Dark...
as Sarah
Background
The original Sparkle, produced by The Robert Stigwood OrganizationRobert Stigwood
Robert Stigwood is an impresario and entertainment entrepreneur who relocated to England in 1954...
in 1975 and released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1976, starred Phillip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara
Irene Cara
Irene Cara is an American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.She married Hollywood stuntman...
, Lonette McKee
Lonette McKee
Lonette McKee is an American film and television actress, music composer/producer/songwriter, screenwriter and director.-Biography:...
and Mary Alice
Mary Alice
Mary Alice is an American actress.Alice was born Mary Alice Smith in Indianola, Mississippi, the daughter of Ozelar and Sam Smith. In 1987 she received a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her work in Fences...
, with songs and score composed and produced by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
. One song from the Sparkle
Sparkle (Aretha Franklin album)
Sparkle is an Aretha Franklin album, written and produced by Curtis Mayfield. The disc is the soundtrack album for the 1976 Warner Bros. motion picture Sparkle, starring Irene Cara...
soundtrack, "Something He Can Feel", became a hit single for both Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
(in 1976) and En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
(in 1992), while the film itself became a cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
among African-American audiences.
In the mid-1990s, BrownHouse Productions, run by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
and Debra Martin Chase
Debra Martin Chase
Debra Martin Chase is a Hollywood producer and former lawyer who was named by Savoy magazine in August 2003 as one of the 100 most influential African Americans in the United States and by Black Enterprise magazine in 2007 as one of the Top 50 Powerbrokers in Hollywood. Chase is the first African...
, secured the rights to a Sparkle remake from Warner Bros. Houston had intended to cast R&B singer Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
in the lead as Sparkle, but Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001 before the film went into production. Following the 2011 release of their first feature, Jumping the Broom, Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil
Mara Brock Akil
Mara Brock Akil is an American television writer and producer.-Early life:Muslim American born in Los Angeles, California, Brock Akil was raised primarily in Kansas City. She is a graduate of Raytown South High School in 1988...
, the creative team behind the African-American TV series The Game
The Game (TV series)
The Game is an Australian television show that aired in 2000 and 2001 on the Seven Network.It was hosted by Dermott Brereton, who defected from the Nine Network to Seven amid much controversy...
, took on Sparkle as their next project, with Houston executive producing and starring as the mother of the three girls.
Production for the film began on October 10, 2011 in Detroit.