Colman Domingo cast in The Color Purple musical film

Colman Domingo has been cast in a new role. The Fear the Walking Dead actor is a busy man who has taken on some fantastic roles and will now add The Color Purple. He will join fellow Walking Dead universe actor Corey Hawkins in this film.

Hawkins’ casting announcement came about five months ago, soon after his amazing performance in In the Heights. He will portray the role of Harpo Johnson; a role played in the original film by Willard Pugh.

Vanity Fair has now announced the fellow Walking Dead universe actor Colman Domingo will portray the role of Mister, originally played by Danny Glover. Mister is Harpo’s father. If you know anything about the story, Mister is a horrible man who abuses his wife and is a terrible human being.

Winfrey had this to say about the casting of Domingo:

"I love Colman for many reasons, but also because of his prolific ability to embody any character. There’s a presence that he carries that reminded me so much of young Mister. You know, he could be Danny’s son. Just the other day I was going through the costumes for him. The hats, the vests, all that stuff. And I’m just really excited about him."

During the Vanity Fair interview, Colman shared his thoughts on his character, Mister:

"He’s a broken character. He has dreams and aspirations, like everyone else, that have been unfulfilled. What does he do? He oppresses others."

Additional casting includes Fantasia Taylor, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey and H.E.R. This is a film adaptation of the Broadway musical production based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Alice Walker which inspired the 1985 film. Filming will begin in Georgia in March.

The Color Purple

The Color Purple is a coming-of-age story set at the beginning of the 20th century that revolves around a Black woman named Celie Harris and her friends. The story shows all of the traumatic situations they endure, including domestic violence, incest, pedophilia, poverty, racism, and sexism. With the help of her strong female companions, Celie is able to find her worth.

This film is directed by Blitz Bazawule (Beyoncé’s Black Is King, The Burial of Kojo) with Oprah Winfrey and the original Broadway musical producer Scott Sanders producing.

Winfrey starred in the original film as Sofia, who will now be portrayed by Danielle Brooks, who also played the role on Broadway. Sofia is Harpo’s first wife who endures much hardship.

Colman summed it up well when he stated:

"What The Color Purple does best—in its book form, and its film, and hopefully in this hybrid that we give the world—is show that this collective Black trauma isn’t for naught. It has propelled all of us. I think that’s what [this story] can show at its best. We hope it leaves an indelible imprint about our humanity, what America is steeped in, and how there is some hope and some promise."

The highly anticipated return of The Walking Dead Season 11 Part 2 premieres Sunday, February 20 at 9:00 pm ET/8c with new episodes available one week early on AMC+, beginning with the premiere episode on Sunday, February 1.

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