Jon Batiste is set to appear in the upcoming musical adaptation of The Color Purple.
According to editors at The Hollywood Reporter, the Grammy Award-winning musician has been cast in Warner Bros.’ new film, which is based on Alice Walker’s 1982 novel of the same name.
Batiste will play Grady, a sweet-talking piano man married to Taraji P. Henson’s character, Shug Avery.
Taking to Instagram, the star confirmed the news by sharing a screenshot of The Hollywood Reporter article and adding: “The word is out! This’ll be a lot of fun.”
The Color Purple will mark Batiste’s debut on the silver screen, though he has previously appeared in music videos and served as a composer on the 2020 animated movie Soul.
He will join Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, and H.E.R., in the film, which follows protagonist Celie Harris’s struggles as an African-American woman living in the South during the early 1900s.
Blitz Bazawule has signed on as director, with Marcus Gardley penning the screenplay.
The film is now in production and is set to be released in December 2023.
The Color Purple was previously adapted in 1985 by Steven Spielberg.
