Whitney Houston's high hopes for 'Sparkle'

Whitney Houston's small but crucial role in the movie "Sparkle" could have relaunched the singer's once-promising acting career. Instead, Houston's first film in 15 years will also be her last.

Houston, who died Saturday at the age of 48, seemed to be laying the groundwork for a return to screen stardom with "Sparkle," a remake of a 1976 musical drama starring Irene Cara ("Fame").

Set in Harlem in the 1950s, the film borrowed more than a little from the backstage dramas of the Supremes, with Cara as one of a trio of singing sisters. Mary Alice ("Awakenings") played their discouraging mother, Effie. Featuring a score and original songs by Motown legend Curtis Mayfield, "Sparkle" became popular among African-American audiences, though its larger legacy has been as an inspiration to the hit play and film "Dreamgirls."

Houston served as an executive producer on the remake and plays the role of the mother (renamed Emma). Few details about the film are available, including whether Houston would sing and whether the original movie's subplot about substance abuse will remain. The cast includes sixth-season "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks (replacing Cara) and the relative unknowns Tika Sumpter and Carmen Ejogo as the sisters, along with Cee-Lo Green, Derek Luke and Mike Epps in supporting roles.

Houston's acting career began with her hugely successful film debut, "The Bodyguard," a 1992 romance in which she starred opposite Kevin Costner. "Waiting to Exhale" followed in 1995. The $10 million salary she received for 1996's "The Preacher's Wife" put Houston in the company of some of Hollywood's highest earners, but the movie turned out to be only a modest success. That film would be her last -- until "Sparkle" -- as personal problems consumed Houston during the 2000s and beyond.

As of now, "Sparkle" is set to be released Aug. 17.