Ciara has joined the cast of The Color Purple musical film, Entertainment Weekly reports.
The Grammy-winning singer and entertainer will star as the adult version of Nettie, while Halle Bailey will play a younger version of the character.
“Honored to be a part of this beautiful ensemble and historic film, The Color Purple. Truly grateful,” Ciara tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.
Other previously announced castmates include Fantasia (Celie), H.E.R. (Squeak), Danielle Brooks (Sofia), Corey Hawkins (Harpo) and Taraji P. Henson (Shug Avery), among others.
Blitz Bazawule is set to direct the Marcus Gardley-written film, which begins production this month. Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones and Steven Spielberg serve as producers.
The Color Purple is scheduled to premiere Dec. 20, 2023.
This isn’t Ciara’s first time filming a musical. She starred in the 2011 movie Mama, I Want to Sing alongside Lynn Whitfield. The film was an adaption of the 1983 off-Broadway musical.
Ciara recently released a children’s book with her husband Russell Wilson titled Why Not You?
The motivational picture book encourages children to imagine themselves reaching their dreams no matter how challenging it may seem. Why Not You? is described as “a lyrical celebration of self-esteem, perseverance, and daring to shoot for the stars.”
My energy for life is…Why Not You? Our book is out today!! And I’m sooo excited!
Let’s get that Why Not You attitude going! #WhyNotYou pic.twitter.com/J79YQBKvSj
— Ciara (@ciara) March 1, 2022
As for music, Ciara has been relatively mum as of lately — aside from reciting “Ciara’s Prayer” on Summer Walker’s sophomore album, Still Over It. In December 2020, she released a club mix of her Ester Dean-assisted banger “Rooted,” which was originally released in August 2020.
In 2019, she released her seventh studio album, Beauty Marks, which included features from Kelly Rowland, Tekno and Macklemore. The album also included her platinum-selling hit “Level Up.”
Last December, Ciara told ABC Audio that she has been in the studio working on new music. “All I gotta say is I’ve been cooking up some stuff and I can’t wait to share it with the world,” she said.
