Terrence J. Smith, Tiffany Elle Burgess, Aba Arthur join cast of Oprah Winfrey’s ‘The Color Purple’

Los Angeles, April 27 (IANS): The makers of the coming-of-age musical period drama ‘The Color Purple’ have signed three new faces – Terrence J. Smith, Tiffany Elle Burgess, and Aba Arthur. The three would join Taraji P. Henson, H.E.R, Aunjanue Ellis and Fantasia Barrino on the project, reports ‘Deadline’.
The film, produced by Oprah Winfrey, is based on the 2005 stage musical of the same name, which itself was based on Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ‘The Color Purple’. According to Blackfilmandtv.com, the highly anticipated production is also being praised for its willingness to highlight the next generation of Black Hollywood.
Terrence J. Smith, who has been cast as ‘Adam’ in the film, is a trained actor for both stage and film appearing in the musicals and made his film debut with the 2021 blockbuster, ‘The Tomorrow War’. As per ‘Deadline’, Tiffany Elle Burgess, cast as ‘Olivia’ is an actress, screenwriter, and producer, and is also the author of the acclaimed children’s book ‘Skin Like Mine’. She recently made her television debut in ‘The Wonder Years’ and in the SXSW critically acclaimed short film ‘Glitter Ain’t Gold’ which was produced by rapper Common. Aba Arthur is a Ghanaian American actor trained for both stage and screen. On stage, she has appeared in a number of notable plays including ‘Proof’ and ‘For Colored Girls’. On screen, Arthur made her debut working with acclaimed director Wim Wenders on the groundbreaking anthology film ‘8’.
The original Broadway musical debuted in 2005, scoring 11 Tony Award nominations in 2006 and winning for LaChanze’s role as Celie. It ran for 910 performances. A revival in 2015 scored four more Tony noms and won for Best Revival of a Musical and for Cynthia Erivo in her Broadway debut. The musical has also won Grammy and Emmy awards. ‘The Color Purple’ is slated to be released in December 2023.