Sparkle tells the story of a 19-year-old innocent young woman growing up in late 1960′s Detroit, who dreams of becoming a music star.  Sparkle (Jordin Sparks), Sister (Carmen Ejogo) and Dee (Tika Sumpter) are sisters who love each other fiercely, but each have their own ambitions.  When they form a girl group and set out to take the music world by storm, the harsh realities of the spotlight take their toll on the girls and threaten to tear apart the tight knit family, which also includes their less than supportive mother (Whitney Houston).  The film also stars Derek Luke, Mike Epps, Omari Hardwick and CeeLo Green.

At the film’s press day, director/producer Salim Akil and screenwriter/producer Mara Brock Akil talked about how they came to be a part of the remake, the inspiration for the story changes they made, the pros and cons of working so closely with your spouse, how they got Whitney Houston to do the film, what sold them on Jordin Sparks, and how they approached the music with the songwriters.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.