Sony has released the first trailer for I Wanna Dance With Somebody, an upcoming biopic chronicling the life of legendary singer, Whitney Houston.
The trailer compiles scenes of Houston — played by actress, Naomi Ackie — at various stages of her career, from her early days as a gospel singer to her subsequent ascent to superstardom. The clip is soundtracked by Houston’s 1985 song, How I Will I Know.
“My dream?” Houston (Ackie) questions in the two-minute teaser: “Reach as big an audience as I can.” Watch the full trailer for I Wanna Dance With Somebody below.
The film — which takes its title from Houston’s 1987 smash hit song of the same name — will be released in cinemas later this year, and was directed by Kasi Lemmons. Alongside Ackie (who elsewhere features in Netflix’s The End of the F…ing World) the film stars Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie and Stanley Tucci, the last of whom portrays Houston’s mentor and label boss Clive Davis.
Screenwriter, Anthony McCarten penned the film’s script, adding to his similar credits on the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. While there’s no official synopsis for I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the film’s tagline reads, “The greatest voice of our time has an even greater story.” The biopic will hit Australian cinemas on December 26. Watch the trailer below.
The film was first announced in 2020. Unlike previous adaptations of the late singer’s life, I Wanna Dance With Somebody was approved by Davis and Houston’s estate, with the former label boss teasing at the time, “the full Whitney Houston story has not yet been told.” Houston was a star of both the stage and the screen, having made her acting debut in the 1992 romance, The Bodyguard alongside Kevin Costner. Houston died in 2012.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody is the latest in a string of biopics based on famous musicians. In addition to Bohemian Rhapsody, audiences have been treated to the Elton John flick, Rocketman in 2019, the Aretha Franklin-based Respect in 2021, and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis this year. More recently, the biopic of comedy musician, “Weird Al” Yankovic, titled Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last week.
