One of the biggest milestones in the early career of Oprah Winfrey came in the guise of her film debut with The Color Purple directed by Steven Spielberg. Based on the fiction novel of the same name by Alice Walker, the stirring tale of a group of African American women not only brought tears to many eyes but also won its author a Pulitzer award. When the movie originally came out in 1985, it earned several Academy Award nominations and won a Golden Globe too. 

When Winfrey ventured out to re-create this success story, she had the tough job of convincing Spielberg for it. He finally gave in for a special reason! 

How did Oprah Winfrey win over Steven Spielberg?

Today marked the premiere of the new version of The Color Purple. During it, the talk show host and legendary director took the stage together. Then, Winfrey explained to the audience how she had tried to get the Jaws director to grant “permission” to remake the film. When she asked him what finally made him say yes, he explained that it was Winfrey’s “production” of the flick’s Broadway musical adaptation!

Apparently, the 69-year-old  host of The Oprah Winfrey Show had been trying to convince him for “several years” to no avail. However, when he set eyes on its musical which ran on Broadway from 2005 till 2008, he knew that the movie would be in good hands if she and Scott Sanders, who produced the new film together, took over the project. 

The film is set to release on the 25th of December in theaters. It will follow the same themes as the 1985 original.

What was The Color Purple about?

In the old version, Spielberg’s directorial talents brought Alice Walker’s narrative to life, painting a portrait of empowerment and triumph. In it, purple emerges as a symbol of the strength one finds when faced with hardship. It followed the journey of Celie, a resilient African-American girl navigating the harsh early 20th century in America. The tear-inducing coming-of-age story that inspired the upcoming flick is certainly a must-watch.

Through the formation of a forbidden sisterhood that echoed her community’s pain, the film explored themes of love and redemption. As Celie finds her voice amidst all that adversity, purple goes from being a mere pigment to becoming a symbol of hope for her. Now, Winfrey’s version of The Color Purple is set to cover a similar story following the same touching themes.  

What do you think of Winfrey’s journey of convincing Spielberg to re-create The Color Purple? Are you looking forward to watching the new version of the film? Share your thoughts in the comments.