Ashton Sanders will play Bobby Brown in the Whitney Houston biopic 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody'.

The 25-year-old actor has been tapped to play the 'Every Little Step' hitmaker, who was married to Whitney between 1992 and 2007, in the hotly-anticipated movie.

Naomi Ackie will portray the late music icon in the movie, which will be directed by Kasi Lemmons after she replaced Stella Meghie behind the camera earlier this month.

The 'Harriet' filmmaker previously said: "Early in my writing career I developed two projects for Whitney and I had the opportunity to meet her. She was a tremendous, incomparable artist and her story is as awe-inspiring as it is tragic. I feel privileged to be part of bringing her life story and music to the audience."

Naomi previously described how it had been an "incredible experience" preparing to play Whitney and hoped to team up with Lemmons on "something truly wonderful".

The 28-year-old star said: "Preparing to play Whitney Houston has been an incredible experience. I’ve learnt so much more about her and myself than I could have imagined. I’m so excited to get on that film set and honour her legacy! With Kasi on board, I know we can create something truly wonderful."

The movie is slated for release in December 2022 and the script has been penned by the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' scribe Anthony McCarten with the 'I Will Always Love You' singer's mentor Clive Davis producing the film.

Davis said: "Properly telling the honest, ‘no-holds-barred’ story of Whitney Houston is an exceptional responsibility. Kasi Lemmons not only brings a highly-acclaimed, award-winning track record but possesses a clear understanding of Whitney as the matchless icon who triumphed musically while valiantly struggling with addiction."