Will Whitney Houston 'Sparkle' on Big Screen?

Fifteen years after her last major film role, Whitney Houston is planning a return to the silver screen, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Houston is said to be in talks with Sony Pictures to star in a remake of 'Sparkle,' a 1976 film loosely based on the career of the Supremes. The embattled 'I'm Every Woman' singer would play the mother of main characters the Williams sisters, who rise to fame in 1950s Harlem but then struggle to cope with success.

'American Idol' winner Jordin Sparks is slated to play the film's title character, while actor Mike Epps will portray her stand-up comic husband, Satin. The movie would mark Houston's first big-screen appearance since 1996's 'The Preacher's Wife.' Prior to that, she starred in the hits 'The Bodyguard' -- the 1992 drama whose soundtrack spawned the colossal hit single 'I Will Always Love You' -- and 'Waiting to Exhale.'

In recent years, Houston has received more attention for her personal troubles than her singing or acting skills. Earlier this year, she checked herself into a rehab facility to treat her ongoing addiction to drugs and alcohol. The former Mrs. Bobby Brown discussed her substance-abuse issues in a 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey. The appearance coincided with the release of her comeback album 'I Look to You,' which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart.