Taraji P. Henson signs on as Shug Avery in Blitz Bazawule's musical adaptation of The Color Purple

dailymail.co.uk:

Taraji P. Henson signed on to star as Shug Avery in a musical adaptation of The Color Purple, according to Variety.The 51-year-old actress will take on the role of theflamboyant blues singer who was first played on the big screen by Margaret Avery in the 1985 film from Steven Spielberg.The new Warner Bros.

movie is an adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical,which is a reworking of Alice Walker’s original Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Star power:Taraji P. Henson signed on to star as Shug Avery in a musical adaptation of The Color Purple, according to Variety The 51-year-old actress will take on the role of the flamboyant blues singer who was first played on the big screen by Margaret Avery in the 1985 film from Steven Spielberg; seen in the '85 flickDailymail.com has contacted Taraji's representatives for comment.

Blitz Bazawule, who directed Beyonce's Black is King, The Burial of Kojo and Cherish the Day, signed on to direct the musical performance.Oprah Winfrey's HarpoFilms is producing the new movie, while Spielberg gets production credits through hisAmblin Entertainment.