Naomie Ackie in talks to play Whitney Houston in biopic

Naomi Ackie is reportedly in final talks to portray Whitney Houston in the upcoming musical biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody. The Sony film is directed by Stella Meghie and has a screenplay by writer Anthony McCarten (well-known for writing Bohemian Rhapsody).Variety reported that I Wanna Dance With Somebody follows the life story of the iconic artist behind hits like I Will Always Love You and How Will I Know.

Houston, who won six Grammys in her musical career, debuted in acting with the 1992 blockbuster hit The Bodyguard. She also recorded six songs for the film’s soundtrack, including ‘I Will Always Love You’.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody is slated to release at Thanksgiving 2022.Notably, Ackie recently won a BAFTA for her role in Netflix’s The End of the F***Ing World. She has also appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe.