'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' Release Date, Cast, Trailer and More

Here's everything to know about the Whitney Houston biopic.

Whitney Houston gets her first studio biopic with I Wanna Dance With Somebody, named after her 1987 dance hit "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."

The movie follows Houston in the early days of her career, as well as at her peak and enduring her personal and professional struggles until her untimely and tragic death at age 48.

Director Kasi Lemmons told The Associated Press that the film focuses on as much of Houston's light as of her dark, including her battle with addiction.

"We wanted it to be truthful," Lemmons. "I have to commend the estate for letting us go places. Sometimes I had to push them past their comfort zone, and they were willing to say, 'OK, yeah,' and that was great of them, because I don’t think I would have done the film if it hadn’t been an aspect of it. It’s part of the story, and it was something I observed and was what ultimately led to her demise."

Find out everything to know about the I Wanna Dance With Somebody movie, including the I Wanna Dance With Somebody release date, cast and all about who plays Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

Related: Whitney Houston's Most Memorable Moments

When is the I Wanna Dance With Somebody movie release date?

I Wanna Dance With Somebody hits theaters on Dec. 21, 2022.

Related: See Naomi Ackie's Transformation Into Whitney Houston for I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Is there an I Wanna Dance With Somebody movie trailer?

A full trailer for I Wanna Dance With Somebody dropped in September 2022.We see Houston's mother Cissy Houston say she lost her voice so Whitney can open a show with Clive Davis in the audience.

Whitney and Robyn celebrate hearing "How Will I Know" on the radio, and Whitney tries to assert herself as an artist and an individual.

We also see her tell a radio interviewer, "I don't know how to sing Black, I don't know how to sing white either. I know how to sing." She proves it with her legendary performance of the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl.

Related: Dolly Parton Reflects on Working With Whitney Houston

A second trailer was released in November 2022, featuring Houston confronting her father over squandering her money and telling her that she's spending too much time with Crawford—and specifically for regarding her as a "brand" instead of a human being. She also snaps back at the radio interviewer who says a criticism of her music is that it isn't "Black enough."

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Who plays Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance With Somebody?

Naomi Ackie has a star turn as Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Ackie has previously starred in The End of the F*cking World, Master of None and Doctor Who. She also played Jannah in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Ackie told The Associated Press of playing the icon, “It’s a study on the essence of Whitney and not the image of Whitney. I thought, if I’m going to do this, I’m going to speak on Whitney’s internal world, and everything else is completely out of my control.”

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Who is in the cast of I Wanna Dance With Somebody?

Aside from the incredible Ackie, the I Wanna Dance With Somebody cast includes:

Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis

Stanley Tucci stars as Clive Davis, the record producer who discovered Whitney Houston. Davis is also a producer on the film.

Ashton Sanders as Bobby Brown

Ashton Sanders stars as Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston's husband. He previously starred in Empire of Light.

Tamara Tunie as Cissy Houston

Law & Order: SVU alum Tamara Tunie plays Whitney Houston's mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston.

Nafessa Williams as Robyn Crawford

Nafessa Williams plays Robyn Crawford, Whitney Houston's close friend and former lover.

Clarke Peters as John Houston

Clarke Peters stars as John Houston, Whitney Houston's father, with whom she had a contentious and at times litigious relationship.

Bria Danielle Singleton as Bobbi Kristina Brown

Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown's late beloved daughter, is played by Bria Danielle Singleton.

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Is I Wanna Dance With Somebody streaming?

I Wanna Dance With Somebody is being released exclusively in theaters. Because it is a Sony release, it will likely stream on Netflix when its theatrical window closes, though no home video or streaming release date has been announced just yet.

What is the I Wanna Dance With Somebody rating?

I Wanna Dance With Somebody is rated PG-13, making it appropriate for teen and adult viewing in the eyes of the MPAA.

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Is Robyn Crawford in I Wanna Dance With Somebody?

While Robyn Crawford's presence in Whitney Houston's life was often downplayed, Crawford is a looming presence in I Wanna Dance With Somebody. She's even featured in the trailers in a big way.

Lemmons told The Associated Press that she and screenwriter Anthony McCarten titled the movie to reference Houston and Crawford's relationship.

"I would ask [] why is it called that? And he’d say, 'It’s spirit and the effervescence and the uplift,'" she recalled. "And I’m like, ‘OK but it has to have meaning.’ He had written it in the script, that the song is 'about wanting to dance with somebody really badly but for whatever reason you can’t.' And I was like, 'I think that’s about Robyn!'"

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When does I Wanna Dance With Somebody come out?

I Wanna Dance With Somebody will be released in theaters on Dec. 21, 2022. No streaming or home video release date has yet been announced.

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