Last year's The Color Purple musical remake has garnered a lot of acclaim for its spirited, soulful take on the Broadway stage musical, itself an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by legendary author Alice Walker.
The new 2023 movie received a Golden Globe nomination for its leading lady, Fantasia Barrino (who you no doubt remember from winning American Idol), as well as a Globe and Oscar nomination for supporting actress Danielle Brooks, who plays Sofia to Fantasia's Celie. Rounding out the guest are Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Corey Hawkins as Harpo, Colman Domingo as Mister, Halle Bailey as young Nettie and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as young Celie.
The Color Purple made its theatrical debut on December 25 but now the drama is coming to television and streaming. It will air on HBO tonight, February 17 at 8pm Eastern. HBO is available with most cable TV subscriptions. However, if you've cut the cord, you have watch live simulcasts of HBO channels via several live TV streaming service options, including Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream. You also have access to HBO programming through the network's streaming platform, Max.
The 2023 remake is the second film adaptation of Walker's novel. The 1985 original, directed by Steven Spielberg, starred Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey, and earned 11 Oscar nominations. Winfrey and Spielberg returned to serve as producers on the most recent version.
Unlike the 1985 film, the 2023 version updates the story with song-and-dance numbers, but the premise remains the same. Per the movie's official synopsis: "A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early 20th-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence."
"Through a series of letters spanning 20 years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia and their experience," the description continues. "The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love."
