Dionne Warwick explains why she isn’t interested in Whitney Houston’s upcoming biopic

28 October 2021, 09:37 | Updated: 29 October 2021, 10:14

By Hannah Lovejoy

@HanLovejoy

Singing legend Dionne Warwick has made it clear that she’s not interested in contributing to the upcoming Whitney Houston biopic titled I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Dionne Warwick is a cousin of the late Whitney Houston and while the upcoming movie on Whitney is the only film to be approved by Whitney’s estate - Dionne has made it clear that she isn't interested in the project.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody is being produced by music legend Clive Davis - he signed both Whitney and Dionne to his label Arista Records and also mentored Whitney.

In a rare interview with the Los Angeles Times, Dionne mentioned that she hasn’t taken on any consulting for the I Wanna Dance with Somebody biopic.

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Dionne said: “Not one thing. I want them to let Whitney rest in peace. Leave her alone. Ten years [since she died] — it’s time to let her sleep."

During the interview, Dionne also shared her thoughts on the recent Aretha Franklin biopic titled Respect. Jennifer Hudson stars in the lead role as Aretha in Respect.

Aretha and Dionne were signed to Arista Records at the same time in the 1990s. Dionne also had connections to Aretha growing up - Dionne’s auntie, Cissy Houston, sang backing vocals for Aretha.

Dionne said that there was “a lot missing” from the Respect biopic and thought that the film focused too much on the negative aspects of Aretha’s story.

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"I knew Aretha from when we were teenagers, and there was a lot missing [from the movie]," Dionne explained.

She continued: "Some filmmakers feel that they've got to find something cruddy and ugly in an artist's life. Why?"

There is currently no set release date for the upcoming Whitney movie I Wanna Dance with Somebody. However, it’s expected to arrive in cinemas in the autumn of 2022.