A present-day reimagining of The Preacher’s Wife is reportedly in the works with Emmy winner Anthony Hemingway directing.
The 1996 film, starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance – who will also appear in this newest version, and produce under his Bassett Vance Productions banner – centred on a the suave angel Dudley (Washington) who comes to earth to help a preacher (Vance) and his wife (Houston) save their church and marriage. The film is a reliably endearing Christmas classic, and its soundtrack endures as the bestselling gospel album of all time. Penny Marshall’s The Preacher’s Wife was itself a remake of The Bishop’s Wife, the 1947 film starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven.
Hemingway’s reimagining will “creatively evolve the story in a new direction” whilst emphasising “the musicality” of the original, says producing partner Dwayne Johnson-Cochran. Hemingway and Angela Bassett will also produce. The director is perhaps best known for his work on American Crime Story and Underground.
As far as we known, casting hasn’t yet begun, but our bet is on Cynthia Erivo being cast as the titular character Julia Biggs. Not only does the actress have the vocal talents required for a musically-heavy role, but she and Hemingway have previously worked together on the show Genius, in which Erivo played Aretha Franklin. In the same show, Vance also recurred as C.L. Franklin, the Queen of Soul’s father. Watch this space.
