Showbiz couple strive to make it ‘Sparkle’

Salim Akil’s smile froze as he recalled a day last year when he received a studio offer he feared might derail his blossoming career. “I remember coming home and telling my wife, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but they just offered me “Sparkle,”’” he said, shaking his head. “She looked at me and said, ‘“Sparkle”’? I said, ‘Yeah, the studio wants to do a remake. But I’m not touching it. Black people ain’t going to lynch me.’”

Writer-producer Mara Brock Akil instantly understood. Like her husband, she was a passionate fan of the original “Sparkle,” about the rise of a female singing group from Harlem. The musical drama is regarded by devotees, particularly among African Americans, as a seminal film in a wave of 1970s black cinema because of its classic scenario centered on the teenage title character overcoming family turmoil and romantic heartbreak, its rising-star cast headed by Irene Cara (“Fame”) and Philip Michael Thomas (“Miami Vice”) and a hit soundtrack by soul giant Curtis Mayfield. (It was written by Howard Rosenman and Joel Schumacher and directed by Sam O’Steen.)

Getting involved with a new “Sparkle” had the potential to lead to grief the couple didn’t need. They were quietly building their own TV empire; their sports-flavored comedy “The Game”was the most popular series on BET after premiering in 2011 to 7.7 million viewers, making it at the time the top-rated ad-supported sitcom in cable history. A mega development deal with BET was in the works for the couple to lead the network further into the scripted series arena. The pre-opening buzz on Salim’s feature directorial debut,”Jumping the Broom,” about two socioeconomically opposite families clashing at a lavish wedding, was upbeat, and he was pursuing other movie projects.

With that full plate, the Akils were establishing themselves as a Hollywood powerhouse and rarity — one of the few married couples to produce, direct and write, together and individually, on TV and film projects. That ascent, as one of the most prominent African American creative forces in Hollywood, suggested that taking on a new “Sparkle” might be foolishly risky.

But almost overnight, Salim’s initial reluctance started to melt, while Mara imagined ways of making the central story relevant today by “empowering” the female characters who were largely victimized in the original, moving the setting from 1958 Harlem to 1968 Detroit during the civil rights era and transforming Sparkle into a songwriter as well as a singer.

Little more than a year after that first offer, the Akils are among the main producers of the new version, which opens Friday with “American Idol”winner Jordin Sparks in the title role and the late Whitney Houston in her last screen performance. The Sony Pictures Entertainment film was directed by Salim and marks Mara’s first movie screenplay. And while they are proud of their first big-screen collaboration, there are doubters skeptical about the revamp.

“Sparkle” is emblematic of what the Akils call their “brand” — using black stories and characters to illustrate universal truths about the American dream. Said Salim: “In this larger conversation about diversity, we want to really show that we’re all the same. We are all experiencing the same stories. Our characters are specifically black on purpose. There’s a sophistication and honesty in that.”

“We really do strive for sophistication and high quality and to have that deeper conversation through our work,” added his wife. “We don’t expect to answer all the questions, but the conversation is important.”

“Sparkle” is just the tip of the artistic iceberg for Akil Productions. The couple is developing BET’s first scripted drama, “Being Mary Jane,” starring Gabrielle Union as a TV news anchor grappling with single life, scheduled to premiere next year. Mara created the series, and Salim directed the pilot. They are also executive producers of “The Game,” about the women involved with the players of a fictional San Diego football team. The show, which Mara created, is being reworked because of the recent exits of its most prominent stars, Tia Mowry-Hardricht and Pooch Hall.

Despite the relentless schedule, the Akils seemed relaxed as they sat in an executive’s office at Sony Studios after a screening of the film to members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The members gave the film, which contains new renditions of Mayfield’s “Sparkle” songs as well as original songs byR. Kelly, a rousing reception, particularly during Houston’s solo of “His Eyes Are on the Sparrow” in a scene set in a church.

This heady scene and their high-powered partnership are a sharp contrast to their relatively humble beginnings. He started his career as an independent filmmaker and staff writer on the Showtime series”Soul Food”; Mara started as a staff writer on the TV series “South Central” and “Moesha.” When she was 29, she developed “Girlfriends,” about four single professional African American women. The series premiered in 2002 on UPN, making her one of the youngest female creators-executive producers in television. The show lasted eight seasons.

The couple has prospered in an industry that does not always place a high value on minority-centered projects. “I don’t walk around all the time thinking of myself as African American, but oftentimes in Hollywood you are reminded of that in ways that can make you question your viability,” Salim said. “I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining. Mara and I both see ourselves as being empowered by that, not victims.”

Even in casual exchanges, Salim, 48, who is from Oakland, and Mara, 42, who grew up in Los Angeles and Kansas City, Mo., displayed a palpable chemistry. They were drawn to each other during chance encounters in the mid-1990s and have been married for 15 years. The couple have two sons, ages 8 and 31/2.

While both are admittedly strong-willed, they are careful not to talk over each other if possible. Like most couples who work and live together, they have had difficulties, but Salim said they have persevered by bringing the same creativity from their professional endeavors into their marriage.

“First and foremost, we’re friends, and that helps,” Salim said. “We have our disagreements, and we argue, but the one thing we’ve been good at is oftentimes those things are about creative differences and not personal issues.” He added with a smile, “It’s also healthy that I send Mara to New York every now and then so she can have her personal time and I can have my personal time. And we do draw very clear lines. The project dictates who’s the boss. On ‘Being Mary Jane,’ I was hired.”

Chimed in Mara. “And on ‘Sparkle,’ I was hired. We are very passionate people — we’re passionate about each other and the work. But we very much believe in one vision. When we differ, I know that he hears me, even if it gets hot for a minute, and the same with me hearing him. The bottom line is, we inspire each other.”

Their approach has won the photogenic couple praise from executives at Sony Pictures Entertainment, one of the backers behind “Sparkle,” and BET.

“The Akils are among the best creators out there,” said Loretha Jones, BET’s head of original programming: “They hold their own against anyone working out there in television, white or black.” Debra Martin Chase, a veteran producer (“The Princess Diaries”), who with Houston had been pushing a new “Sparkle” for more than a decade, added: “Mara has a real gift with dialogue. It’s rich and textured. And I’m over the moon over Salim. They’re a great team.”

“Sparkle,” meanwhile, faces several challenges as well as skeptical fans of the original.

Although Cee Lo Green’s cameo as an egotistical singer may spark interest, the movie’s 1960s setting and “old-school” music score might not instantly appeal to younger moviegoers. Houston is the only performer with major credentials. And Sparks’ screen presence and inexperience are unlikely to invite favorable comparisons to “American Idol” contestant Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar in her first role, for “Dreamgirls.” In fact, many of the story’s touchstones hit the same notes as “Dreamgirls.”

Scrutiny is also likely to be heightened because of Houston. The superstar singer died in February, just a few months after filming wrapped. Heart disease and cocaine use were listed as contributing factors to the death of Houston, who had battled cocaine addiction for years.

Houston plays Sparkle’s heavily religious mother, Emma, who had to give up her own dreams of being a singer after having a rough time in show business and getting pregnant when she was young. In one emotional scene, she warns her daughters against the corrupting lure of fame, asking: “Hasn’t my life been enough of a cautionary tale?”

“It was hard,” Salim said quietly when asked about how he and Mara coped with Houston’s death and its aftermath. “It’s still hard.”

“Whitney was fantastic,” he added. “She brought everything to the set every day. I was blown away by her.” The movie is dedicated to Houston.

What’s next? “We want to expand our business and talk about our culture in a way that is relevant,” he said. “At some point, it won’t be about us, and we want to be a part of other people getting an opportunity to express themselves as artists. It’s all about redefining the American landscape.”

greg.braxton@latimes.com