Whitney Houston biopic will be “a very realistic, very honest story,” says Clive Davis

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Whitney Houston‘s musical mentor says the movie about the late superstar that’s currently in the works won’t shy away from showing both the good and the bad.

Clive Davis is producing the biopic, called I Wanna Dance with Somebody, and he tells USA Today, “The goal…is to come up with a very realistic, very honest story…as well as capturing her losing battle with addiction, capturing her vocal genius and influence on music and contemporary musicians.”

Davis adds that the film will detail “not only pitfalls, but also the professional musical triumphs that she succeeded in accomplishing” and says his mission is to “present the full story of Whitney Houston impeccably and [ensure] that it will be realistic in every respect.”

As previously reported, British actress Naomi Ackie will play Whitney, but she won’t be singing. As Davis notes, “When it came to Whitney, we just didn’t think anyone could capture her vocal genius so it will be the Whitney voice in the film.”

I Wanna Dance with Somebody, directed by Stella Meghie and written by Anthony McCarten — the same guy who wrote the Oscar-winning Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody — is tentatively scheduled to be out in late 2022.