You can be sure that a large number of people are going to be happy to see that a Whitney Houston biopic is currently being thought up, and the writer of Bohemian Rhapsody, Anthony McCarten, will be penning the script. As Mike Fleming Jr. of Deadline goes on to describe the faith that’s been put into the idea and those that are willing to take it and flesh out the movie is enormous as Houston was one of the most iconic figures in pop culture before her untimely death and as a result was eventually bound to have a movie made of her life. Why it’s taken so long is hard to figure since Houston passed in 2012, but there does appear to be a period of time set in place now and again that makes it more or less appealing to wait for a period of time until a movie idea is floated when thinking about historical figures from any era. Calling Whitney Houston an historical figure is pretty accurate at this time since she did help to define a generation in her day and was a very influential person during her time in the entertainment industry. The fact that she had issues to deal with throughout her career is definitely something that might need to come up during the biopic, but it could also be a sticking point with fans and those that might not want to see one of their favorite stars in a negative light.
For those that only want to see Whitney’s triumphs and good times however: get over yourselves. It’s very true that she was a sensation unlike any other when she hit the stage and was even successful when she turned to acting one point, but like many other celebrities she had her secrets and a darker part of her personality that was often broadcast no matter how much her fans would defend her. From the drug use to the domestic abuse and the various other things that went on in her life Whitney was something of a problematic character for a while despite being seen a the ‘good girl’ type for so long and the fact that fans would fall over themselves trying to defend her character at any given moment. Ellen Killoran of the International Business Times wrote a piece on Houston that was kind of interesting years back that some might need to review. If the movie has any sense of balance it will at least highlight a few problems that occurred during her career since things weren’t always as much of a fairy tale as the self-deluded might like to think. In a big way it does feel as though this movie will be made to make Whitney out to be a squeaky-clean star who ended up dying by ‘accident’ after a long and troubling decline that finally saw the end of one of the greatest stars that ever existed. Being fair at this point though, the movie might need to get a little dark at times, if only to even things out and let people know that as great as she was, Houston had a few problems that were never fully solved.
As far as when this movie might be coming out the best guess is 2021 to 2022 since the idea has already been approved and all that’s needed right now is a cast and a chance to get into the studio and get to work. Many such as Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone insist that Whitney’s legacy be given the best treatment possible, and there’s no real reason to argue in a vehement way about this. The woman touched a great many people with her music and like many people she entered the business for fame, fortune, and a chance to get her message out to the people. But if the movie’s going to be fair, if it’s going to show her in all of her glory and showcase the fact that she was human, not a glorified version of herself, then it’s important to show her missteps along the way as well. Like it or not, and many fans would gladly argue with this point, she made a few very poor choices in her life, much as any human being might make, and if the movie is to be balanced and justified in telling her story then it needs to remind people that she was human and therefore fallible, not an angel in human form that doesn’t need people remembering only the best bits of her life to give her a more positive spin. Fans and those that knew her best will likely argue over any negative images or feelings that make it into this movie, but the truth of the matter is that they’re needed, like it or not. It’s difficult to tell a story about a real person that won’t be criticized left and right, but the criticism is usually worse, and far more accurate, if a movie chooses to glorify an individual rather than show the reality of who they were with every act they took.
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