The African-American period musical Sparkle debuted in 1976, and over the last 30-plus years, i hass become a beloved cult classic.
The much-anticipated remake of the film will star Jordin Sparks, Cee-Lo Green, Derek Luke and Whitney Houston. Directed by Salim Akil, the film is set for release August 17.
In the mid 1990s, Whitney Houston’s production company BrownHouse Productions secured the rights to the remake with Aaaliyah originally being pursued for the lead role as Sparkle. But her untimely death in 2001 put production plans on hold, not to begin again until 2011. The film is has music from the original film as well as new compositions by R Kelly.
We take a look the original cast to see what they have done since then. The soundtrack included music by Curtis Mayfield and the hit Aretha Franklin single “Something He Can Feel”. The original ensemble included notable names like Philip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara, Lonette McKee, Mary Alice and Dorian Harewood.
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