Clock strikes upon the hour, and the next Oscar-bait biopic is almost here. This year, it’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the latest project to focus on Whitney Houston (after Angela Bassett’s Lifetime film Whitney). A trailer gives our first look at BAFTA winner Naomi Ackie as Houston and Stanley Tucci as music mogul Clive Davis — who’s also producing the movie and handpicked Tucci to portray him. The film follows from Houston’s discovery by Davis to her massive pop success, promising “the Whitney you never knew” … while, at least in the trailer, mostly showing Houston on progressively bigger stages. The latest trailer introduces some conflict to this story, showing Houston defending herself as a Black artist and arguing with her father over her career. And, yes, singing “I Will Always Love You.” Hey, if there’s anyone we can trust to deliver a good music biopic, it’s Bohemian Rhapsody writer Anthony McCarten, right? Right?? I Wanna Dance, directed by Kasi Lemmons, is out December 21.
This post has been updated.
