Clive Davis Says Whitney Houston Biopic Will Be 'Honest' About Her 'Battles and Struggles'

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Iconic music industry executive Clive Davis says the upcoming Whitney Houston biopic is going to tell the truth.

In a new feature story published Thursday by Billboard, Davis, 90, said that past attempts to honor the life of Houston, who who died on Feb. 11, 2012 at age 48, were "weak" — and that I Wanna Dance with Somebody, which Davis produced, will capture "the full picture of who she was."

"The TV production of the Whitney story, the documentary of Whitney, both were weak and did not stand for her life, the full picture of who she was, so it was time that a full-fledged theatrical biopic be done," Davis told the outlet.

For the movie, in which Davis himself is played by Stanley Tucci, the real-life music executive worked with screenwriter Anthony McCarten on script development and consulted on the movie's historic roots, according to the outlet.

"We wanted to tell the truth that not only was honest about the battles and struggles that Whitney was dealing with," Davis told Billboard. "But also the truth about her musical achievement, her one-of-a-kind triumph and successes."

RELATED: See Naomi Ackie Become Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance with Somebody Trailer, First Photos

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Houston's sister-in-law Pat Houston says Davis' involvement with the production of I Wanna Dance with Somebody — and with the film's story itself — was important to the singer's story at large.

"My interest with the biopic has everything to do with Clive Davis," Pat told Billboard. "When she was here, he was always a fighter and always leading her career, and musically, he has that same vibe."

"You can't mention Whitney Houston without mentioning Clive Davis, and I wanted it to be about the music and that relationship and how she got there," she added.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody will also contain a previously unreleased song from Houston's career, Pat told Billboard.

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In September, the film's star Naomi Ackie told PEOPLE that she was "very" nervous to play the "incredible, multifaceted" singer.

"She's been elevated in my life for so long that it felt like an impossible thing to achieve at times," Ackie, 30, told PEOPLE. "But so many people told me the same thing: If I wasn't scared and nervous, they'd think something was wrong with me. ... The biggest challenge was letting my fear of the magnitude of this task take a back seat. Nothing good comes from sitting in fear for too long."

RELATED: Jordin Sparks Reflects on Whitney Houston Friendship at DWTS Premiere: 'She Was So Supportive'

I Wanna Dance with Somebody is written by Anthony McCarten, the screenwriter behind the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and 2014's The Theory of Everything. The movie is directed by Kasi Lemmons (Harriet), who told PEOPLE that it was important for her to capture Houston's "spirit and humanity while celebrating her music and monumental artistry."

Lemmons adds that Ackie is "phenomenal" in the role.

"She completely inhabits the character of Whitney," Lemmons said of the actor's performance. "She put in a year of rigorous preparation so that her transformation onscreen displays effortless virtuosity and is utterly believable."

I Wanna Dance with Somebody is in theaters Dec. 21.