Lynton made a deal with Warner Bros., which retains a piece of the new project. They were reminiscing about someone they both knew who frequently played "Sparkle" for her friends. Chase was having dinner with Michael Lynton, the chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment. After that, "nobody wanted to touch it," says Ms. The 22-year-old singer, who was poised to play "Sparkle," was flying from the Bahamas to Los Angeles to meet with the film's then-director in 2001 when her plane crashed, killing everybody on board. Houston, longtime friends who had produced films like "The Princess Diaries" (2001) and a made-for-TV "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" (1997), initially tried to transform "Sparkle" into a contemporary tale with Warner Bros., the studio behind the original.Īt the time, Warners had just signed a three-picture deal with the pop-star Aaliyah Haughton. The remake of "Sparkle" has been star-crossed throughout its 12-year history. "We would have been remiss if we said, 'Here's Whitney Houston's last film' rather than saying, 'Here's a story about three girls'" to familiarize the audience with the film, said Mr. Houston with her arm wrapped around her co-star. Sparks singing in a slinky red dress, a newly released ad shows Ms. Houston, inviting fans to "celebrate the legend."Ĭare was taken not to overemphasize Ms. Sparks and her two sisters, the campaign has gradually introduced Ms. Although the first ads largely focused on Ms. "We thought that was a little too much," says producer Debra Martin Chase, referring to Ms. Houston's character's daughters slip a sedative into her tea so they can sneak out, was excised from the film. The film wasn't ready, and they wanted more time to finalize its marketing campaign. Instead of attempting to capitalize on the moment by rushing the film into theaters, executives decided to stick with the film's originally scheduled August release date. ![]() The studio didn't want to alienate fans by seeming to exploit her death, especially a death that created a tabloid frenzy. "It's a heavy responsibility," says DeVon Franklin, senior vice president of production at Sony. ![]() Houston turn out to see their beloved icon give her final performance. But it could do brisk box office business as fans of Ms. ![]() The new "Sparkle" had a modest $14 million budget and no one expected a blockbuster.
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