With her untimely death earlier this year, the focus of the musical drama Sparkle has now shifted to highlight Whitney Houston‘s last acting performance. We’ve got the first trailer today and I have to give kudos to the marketing team to not solely play up this aspect. I’m curious to see how much she factors into the film, as she plays supporting to American Idol star Jordin Sparks. From Salim Akil, director of last year’s Jumping the Broom, this remake of the 1976 film is inspired by The Supremes and you can see the first official trailer below. I’m at least down for seeing Cee-Lo Green in another film again after his all-to-brief apperance in Mystery Men.

Synopsis:

Musical prodigy, Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) struggles to become a star while overcoming issues that are tearing her family apart. From an affluent Detroit area and daughter to a single mother (Whitney Houston), she tries to balance a new romance with music manager, Stix (Derek Luke) while dealing with the unexpected challenges her new life will bring as she and her two sisters (Carmen Ejogo and Tika Sumpter) strive to become a dynamic singing group during the Motown-era. Directed by Salim Akil with a story by Nicholas August and Howard Rosenman, SPARKLE stars Jordin Sparks, Whitney Houston, Derek Luke, Mike Epps, Carmen Ejogo, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick and CeeLo Green.

Sparkle arrives on August 10th.