Exclusive: The remake of “Sparkle” is on the road to starting next month. Whitney Houston, already announced, will play Jordin Sparks‘s mother. In this version, Whitney’s character will not be a maid but a former R&B star who’s gone back to the church. I am told that Whitney will sing two gospel songs in the film.
The rest of the soundtrack is divided between the original Curtis Mayfield songs and four new songs from R. Kelly. Added to the cast: pop star Cee Lo Green, and actor Derek Luke. Debra Martin Chase and Howard Rosenman are producing, Salim Akil is directing from a script by his wife, Mara Brock Akil. “Sparkle” will be released by TriStar/Sony in 2012 or 2013 at the latest, not 2014 as stated in the imdb.
And what about Whitney? My source say she’s in great shape, and never looked better.