Whitney Houston Documentary in the Works

One of the greatest voices of our era, Whitney Houston holds a special place in our hearts. When we featured her on the cover of Out, in 2000, we vowed to always love Whitney. So we'll be in line next year, when the first official documentary about the singer's life opens in theaters.

The singer's estate has agreed to green light a biographic documentary project on Whitney's life, with a stellar team up for the task. Variety reports that filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, an Oscar winner for One Day in September, will direct a feature documentary about Whitney.

The film seems to echo last year's Amy, a documentary on gone-too-soon soul singer Amy Winehouse. Whitney and Amy share a similar fate: Despite selling millions of records, they both faced struggles with addiction, and were caught in tumultuous relationships that fed gossip blogs and tabloids.

This new documentary will not sugar coat the singer's life, but it's main focus is to do justice to Whitney's incomparable gift:

"The story that is never told about Whitney is just how brilliant she was as an artist; by many measures she had the greatest voice of the last 50 years," Macdonald said. "She changed the way pop music was sung --bringing it back full circle to its blues and gospel roots. She was also completely unique in being a black pop star who sold in countries where black artists don't traditionally sell."

Slated to a premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, the documentary will include never-before-seen footage of Whitney, from her beginnings singing in her church's gospel choir to her premature death at 48.

"Although we won't shy away from the darker parts of Whitney's life --her descent into addiction-- I want audiences to walk out of the cinema and feel positive about Whitney and her music," Macdonald added. "I want to reveal a woman that even her most die-hard fans never knew; and a woman those new to her life and music will never forget."

We will always love you, Whitney!

Read our 2000 cover story on Whitney Houston here