How the new cast of The Color Purple compares to the old

01 of 08

The Color Purple, then and now

Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, and Rae Dawn Chong in 1985's 'The Color Purple'. Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection

The Color Purple is returning to the big screen. Based on Alice Walker's novel, the original film premiered in 1985 and was an Oscar-nominated hit for director Steven Spielberg. It was adapted into a Broadway musical in 2005, and it's that version, replete with songs, that is being turned into a new film. The production team is already shaping up to be fierce, including director Blitz Bazawule (Black Is King) and original cast member Oprah Winfrey producing under her Harpo Films banner (her production company is famously both an anagram of her own name and the name of her Color Purple character's spouse). But let's take a look at the new cast and how they stack up to the original players.

02 of 08

Margaret Avery and Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery

Margaret Avery; Taraji P. Henson — Warner Bros. /Courtesy Everett Collection; Rich Fury/Getty Images

Shug Avery is a force to be reckoned with. A showgirl and jazz singer, she's the object of Celie's affections and the symbol of the kind of life Celie can only dream of. She's a striking and sensual presence, but also a representation of the things Celie wants but cannot verbalize. Margaret Avery earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the original film, but Taraji P. Henson is well-poised to step into her high-heeled, sparkly shoes and bring all of Shug's glamour to the table. Henson also recently starred as Miss Hannigan in Annie Live, reminding everyone of her musical theater chops.

03 of 08

Willard E. Pugh and Corey Hawkins as Harpo

Willard Pugh; Corey Hawkins — Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection; LISA O'CONNOR/AFP via Getty Images

Harpo is the son of Celie's abusive husband, "Mister," and husband to Sofia — until she leaves him for his violent ways. He struggles to break out of his learned patterns of domestic violence, until he nearly loses everything. Willard E. Pugh, who has made a steady career in supporting roles in films such as RoboCop 2 and Air Force One, played Harpo in an early role. Here, The Walking Dead star Corey Hawkins will bring Harpo to life. Hawkins has also done his fair-share of Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for Six Degrees of Separation. He showed off his pipes as Benny in last summer's In the Heights adaptation.

04 of 08

Rae Dawn Chong and H.E.R. as Squeak

Rae Dawn Chong; H.E.R. — Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection; Paul Morigi/Getty Images

When Sofia leaves Harpo, he takes up with Squeak, a far meeker woman that he believes he can easily boss around. But when Celie and Sofia decide to stand up for themselves, it also inspires Squeak to find her voice. Audiences likely known Rae Dawn Chong from her frequent TV work in series such as 9-1-1 and American Crime Story: Impeachment, but she made an early mark with this supporting role. Now, she will be portrayed by Grammy- and Oscar-winning R&B singer H.E.R., who will be making her film acting debut (she previously appeared as herself in Yes Day).

05 of 08

Oprah Winfrey and Danielle Brooks as Sofia

Color Purple — Everett Collection; Leon Bennett/Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey made her film acting debut as the fierce Sofia, and it earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress right off the bat. Sofia is a force of nature, running her household and retaliating when Harpo abuses her until a confluence of events temporarily break her spirit. The role defined Winfrey as an actress, launching her already stellar brand to new heights. And she has remained connected to the story for decades, naming her production company Harpo and producing the musical adaptation on Broadway and this new film. Now Danielle Brooks, of Orange Is the New Black and Peacemaker fame, may have big shoes to fill, but she's certainly had a fair amount of practice. Brooks starred as Sofia in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple musical, earning a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress.

06 of 08

Whoopi Goldberg and Fantasia Barrino as Celie

The Color Purple is Celie's story, and a deeply moving tale of her journey to asserting her self-worth and the power of sisterhood. Sexually abused by her father, Celie moves from one horrible situation to the next, when her father forces her to marry the violent "Mister." Through the women in his life — his mistress, Shug, and daughter-in-law, Sofia — she finds her voice and her desires, but she still yearns for her sister, Nettie, who disappears after Mister attempts to rape her. Whoopi Goldberg was predominantly known as a comedian when she was cast in only her second film role as Celie. She shocked audiences with her portrayal of the meek, downtrodden Celie, and it earned her a Best Actress Oscar nod. Celie was her career-making role, and it also opened doors for Fantasia Barrino and Cynthia Erivo, who portrayed the character in the Broadway show and its revival. Barrino, an American Idol winner, played Celie on Broadway in The Color Purple from 2007 to 2008, to great acclaim, and she will now get the chance to put her indelible stamp on the character on the big screen.

07 of 08

Danny Glover and Colman Domingo as Albert, a.k.a. 'Mister'

Albert, known more commonly as Mister, is one of the villains in Celie's story. Given to him in marriage by her father, Celie endures abuse at Albert's hands until she turns into a meek shell of herself. Mister is all too happy to have fun with his mistress Shug while expecting Celie to cook and clean and serve his every whim, barring her from the people and things she loves most. Danny Glover, who excels at both drama and comedy, put a memorable stamp on the role, and now it's Colman Domingo's turn. A standout in HBO's Euphoria, the 2021 film Zola, and pretty much anything he's cast in, Domingo earned a Tony nomination in 2011 for his role in The Scottsboro Boys.

08 of 08

Akosua Basia and Halle Bailey as Nettie Harris

Celie's younger sister, Nettie, fights off Mister's advances, leading to her dismissal from his house. The sisters plan to keep in touch through letters, but when Celie doesn't hear from Nettie, she assumes she's dead. That is until fortune, in the form of Shug, intervenes when the showgirl finds a letter from Nettie in the mailbox, only to discover that Mister has been hiding her sister's letters from Celie all these years. Busia, a descendant of Ghanaian royalty, took time off from acting to tend to her family, but returned to the stage in 2016 to star in Danai Gurira's Broadway play Eclipsed, alongside Lupita Nyong'o. Halle Bailey is no stranger to being a younger sister, comprising one half of the dynamic duo Chloe x Halle with big sis Chloe. This will be Bailey's second major film role, as she was already set to make waves as the new Ariel in Disney's live-action Little Mermaid.