Honor the Queen: Aretha Franklin’s upcoming ‘Respect’ biopic just go more epic
Article By Tony Harris // EEW Magazine // Entertainment
Fans of the late Aretha Franklin were already ecstatic when they first learned Jennifer Hudson would portray the “Queen of Soul” in her upcoming biopic.
Aretha Franklin (Credit: Getty)
Now, there’s even more reason to celebrate since Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, actor Marlon Wayans, Broadway star Audra McDonald, and Oscar-nominee Mary J. Blige have all signed on, making the project even more epic.
Whitaker is set to play Franklin’s father, C.L. Franklin, a Baptist minister and sought-after preacher who was unfaithful to his wife.
Wayans will portray Ted White, Franklin’s abusive first husband, whom she wed at 19. McDonald will star as Franklin's mother, Barbara Siggers Franklin. Blige will play Dinah Washington, an American singer and pianist cited as the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s.
"I am thrilled with the incredibly talented cast we have assembled for our film, and I’m so proud that Ms. Franklin entrusted us to tell her story and to share it with the world,” said Tommy, according to Hollywood Reporter.
“As a storyteller, hers is the kind of story we all dream of telling. Her music has inspired me since I was a little girl, and the milestones of her life and career have shown us all how to strive and thrive.
“To have this powerhouse group of actors and the phenomenal talent of Jennifer Hudson in this iconic role means we have the chance of making this film as transcendent as her glorious life and legacy,” she added.
The film will feature some of Franklin’s most notable hits like: "Respect," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Think," "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman," "You’ve Got a Friend," "Dr. Feelgood," "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," "Spanish Harlem" and "Young, Gifted and Black."
Other songs to be included in the biopic are: "Ain’t No Way;" "Precious Lord," "There’s a Fountain Filled With Blood," "Amazing Grace" and "Chain of Fools."
A professional singer and accomplished pianist by her late teens, a superstar by her mid-20s, Franklin had long ago settled any arguments over who was the greatest popular vocalist of her time. Her gifts, natural and acquired, were a multi-octave mezzo-soprano, gospel passion and training worthy of a preacher’s daughter, taste sophisticated and eccentric, and the courage to channel private pain into liberating song.
Franklin died in her Detroit home of advanced stage pancreatic cancer in August 2018.
She was 76.
