In the era of reboots and classic Black-led shows airing on streaming platforms, it has been confirmed that the iconic film “Waiting to Exhale” is returning for fans’ viewing pleasure after more than two decades and tons of speculations of a sequel.
Terry McMillan, the mastermind behind The New York Times bestselling romance-drama novel and subsequent hit film, announced on Twitter on Thursday, Nov. 12, that the film would be returning in the form of a television series. The 69-year-old also revealed that the reboot would be powered by some of Hollywood’s heavy hitters.
“So, WAITING TO EXHALE is going to be a TV series,” the author tweeted. She added, “Produced by Lee Daniels. Attica Locke and Tembi Locke are writing. Anthony Hemingway will direct.” McMillan joked, “I lucked out.”
Daniels has worked on a slew of projects and is most notable for his work on the Oscar-nominated “Precious” and Fox’s hit series “Empire.” Hemingway has at least 50 directing credits to his name for his work on shows such as “Power,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “The Wire,” and many more. Houston-born Locke sisters Attica and Tembi have written for “Little Fire Everywhere” and “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” respectively.
However, the details surrounding the cast and premiere date remain unknown. The 1995 film adaptation, which starred Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, and the late Whitney Houston, followed a group of friends as they supported each other through the struggles of love, life, and relationships.
Fans expressed great excitement over the news. Some even threw in a few suggestions as to whom they thought should star in the TV adaption of the novel.
One Twitter user wrote, “Can we get Wesley Snipes in the television series. That hotel bar scene with Snipes and Angela Bassett in the movie is some of the best acting I’ve ever seen.”
Another person commented, “I can’t wait.” They added, “My granddaughter was like 1 yr old whenever I wanted to clean the house, placed her in the walker, put in Waiting to Exhale video and she’d watch the entire movie without fussing.”
A third user wrote, “AWESOME… that movie is the voice of a generation of women and that SOUNDTRACK!!! I pray for even 1 audition but hoping to see some new beautiful faces grace our tv screens with this! Here’s to manifesting a read! @MsTerryMcMillan.”
