One of the most incredible voices of our generation may have been silenced on Saturday in a Beverly Hills hotel but Whitney Houston’s legacy lives on, not just in music but in film as well. She will be seen for the last time on the big screen as a supportive matriarch in the drama Sparkle starring former American Idol Jordin Sparks. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures says the movie is still on target for an August premiere.
Video: Whitney Houston discusses the making of Sparkle
In her short life, the superstar singer and actress starred in and produced several successful movies proving she was bankable at the box office too. During her first cinematic outing, Houston starred in the smash The Bodyguard released in 1992 opposite Kevin Costner. The film went on to gross over $400 million worldwide and produced the mega hit single I Will Always Love You from the movie’s soundtrack. Her streak continued with another hit, 1995’s Waiting to Exhale a movie about the lives and loves of four friends which co-starred Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon. The drama, adapted from the book of the same name by author Terry McMillan grossed over $67 million domestically. She then starred in the 1996 holiday film, The Preacher’s Wife with Denzel Washington and Courtney B. Vance which grossed a respectable $48 million. The television movie Cinderella would follow in 1997 in which she played the Fairy Godmother to singer-actress Brandy who played the title role. Houston recently wrapped production on the re-make of Sparkle doing double duty on the film as a star and executive producer. She also put on her executive producer’s hat for other movies like The Cheetah Girls and Cheetah Girls 2 from 2003, 2004 and 2006. Her producer credits extended to 2001’s The Princess Dairies and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement from 2004. Houston’s top-grossing films are available on DVD at Amazon. The pop icon was found dead over the weekend at the age of 48.
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