Aretha Franklin will never be forgotten. The legendary singer is the focus of two separate projects in 2021: One for the big screen and one for the small. National Geographic's Genius mini-series, which came out in March, starred Cynthia Erivo as the Queen of Soul. In August, a flashy biopic will be released in theaters.
Franklin, who is most known for powerful anthems and moving gospel, died in August of 2018. An integral voice in both the music industry and the civil rights movement, her cultural impact is often outshined by her musical legacy (17 Grammys will do that). But don’t worry: The legend’s entire life, from child gospel prodigy to rising stage star to noted feminist and activist, will be covered in the MGM biopic, Respect, out in August 2021.
The film stars Jennifer Hudson in the leading role. Should you need a brush up on J.Hud trivia, she came in seventh on the third season of American Idol, she won an Oscar for her earth-shattering role in Dreamgirls, and she brought the crowd at Franklin's funeral to their feet with a rendition of “Amazing Grace” that would have made the soul queen proud.
In the official Respect trailer, you can see how much Hudson embodies Franklin.
The trailer, released in May 2021, offers a peek at Aretha Franklin's transformation from an extremely talented child to a world-renowned diva. Hudson sings some of Franklin's greatest hits, like "Think," “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “Respect."
Respect will hit theaters in the summer of 2021.
Originally set for the summer of 2020, Respect will make its way into theaters a full year later, on August 13, 2021. No streaming plans have been revealed yet.
If the trailer wasn't enough to hold you over, savvy shutterbugs captured Jennifer Hudson on set in New York City. As you can see below, she and Mother Nature were both showing off their good sides that day. Hudson, retro from pouf to pump, sits with cast mates on a park bench. She can also be seen walking alongside Marlon Wayans, who plays Franklin’s first husband, Ted White.
Aretha Franklin chose Jennifer Hudson to play her in the film.
In the ultimate game of “Who Would You Want to Play You in a Movie,” Aretha Franklin wanted Hudson, and she got her. Although, back in 2016, the stage icon remained tight-lipped about her pick. “I’ve talked to the person that is going to play me,” she said to People. “I’m not going to say who I chose, but I’ve talked to her and she’s ready and I’m happy with her.” The Hudson casting news was finally released in January 2018, but it came only a few months before Franklin’s passing in August that same year.
Longtime friends Franklin and Hudson pored over the idea for a biopic for nearly 11 years. In an interview with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, Hudson said, “A year after I won my Oscar, she had me meet her here in New York City, and we talked about it, so now it’s actually manifesting and happening.” Poised as always, Hudson also revealed that she was “terrified” to take on the role of Queen of Soul.
Queen Sugar director Liesl Tommy will helm Respect.
Liesl Tommy, a seasoned storyteller whose screen credits include directing episodes of Queen Sugar, Dietland, Insecure, The Walking Dead, and Jessica Jones, is making her big-screen directorial debut with Respect. Two-time Emmy nominee Tracey Scott Wilson, who wrote for Fosse/Verdon and The Americans, is taking on the script. And it’s all being produced by the guys behind Straight Outta Compton, Joker, and Dreamgirls.
“The story of Aretha Franklin’s journey from child prodigy in Detroit to international supernova is rife with struggle and triumph, making her life one of the great American stories of all time,” Tommy said per Variety. “As a filmmaker there is no greater gift than to be able to bring this transcendent chronicle of a woman’s fight for self-realization to visual life with the enormous talents of the soulful Jennifer Hudson, Callie Khouri, and our incredible producers.”
Mary J. Blige, Forest Whitaker, and Tituss Burgess are co-starring.
The casting lineup of Respect deserves some R-E-S-P-E-C-T itself. Not only does the biopic star Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), but it boasts the likes of two-time Oscar nominee Mary J. Blige (a.k.a. the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul), Oscar winner Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), and four-time Emmy nominee Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Further casting includes Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie) and Audra McDonald (Private Practice).
Respect will touch on Aretha Franklin’s childhood.
Film studio MGM auditioned young folks aged 10 to 14 to play a tween-age Aretha Franklin, and ultimately found Skye Dakota Turner, who had starred as a young Tina Turner on Broadway. A Memphis, Tennessee, native, Franklin was a child gospel prodigy, singing where her father was a minister, New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. So a must for the young Aretha is being able to hit those stellar soprano notes.
Both Respect and Genius: Aretha will dive into Franklin's cultural impact.
From age 18 to 25, Franklin signed with multiple recording studios and produced the hits synonymous with her legacy: “Respect,” “A Natural Woman,” Spanish Harlem,” and “Think.” But as she cemented her Queen of Soul moniker, she was also becoming an integral figure in the civil rights movement. Both projects, Respect and Genius: Aretha, the National Geographic mini-series, will dig deeper into Franklin’s fame while including plot lines dedicated to her cultural significance.
Franklin comes from a long line of influential figures. Her father, Clarence L. Franklin, organized the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom, the same year his friend Martin Luther King Jr. marched on Washington. The “Respect” singer, according to Time, was also mentored early on by Mahalia Jackson, an activist and singer who earned her nickname, The Queen of Gospel, with her contralto sound.
DeAnna Janes is a freelance writer and editor for a number of sites, including Harper’s BAZAAR, Tasting Table, Fast Company and Brit + Co, and is a passionate supporter of animal causes, copy savant, movie dork and reckless connoisseur of all holidays. A native Texan living in NYC since 2005, Janes has a degree in journalism from Texas A&M and got her start in media at US Weekly before moving on to O Magazine, and eventually becoming the entertainment editor of the once-loved, now-shuttered DailyCandy. She’s based on the Upper West Side.
