'Respect' Trailer: Jennifer Hudson Has What You Want As Aretha Franklin
What you want in an Oscar contender, baby, Jennifer Hudson's got it. The Dreamgirls Oscar winner is gunning for her second trophy with Respect, an upcoming biopic about Aretha Franklin in which Hudson will play the Queen of Soul and sing her legendary songs. Watch the Respect trailer below.
Respect Trailer
"You do talk don't ya, not just sing?" Marc Maron's producer says to Hudson's Aretha Franklin, in what could be a cheeky nod to the marketing for Respect, which has relied heavily on Hudson's incredible pipes, but also a reference to the surprisingly soft-spoken Franklin, who would become known as one of the most confident music divas in history. That's in no small part to her biggest hit, "Respect," from which the upcoming biopic takes its name.
The official trailer for Respect is structured heavily around the iconic song, which Hudson sings herself (unlike other recent portrayals of music legends). But it's an apt song to portray Aretha Franklin's journey from shy church choir singer, to no-hit wonder, to the Queen of Soul. The trailer delves into Franklin's embracing of her confidence and her voice as a leading activist for civil rights.
In addition to Hudson, the flick features Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Tate Donovan, Heather Headley, Skye Dakota Turner, and Mary J. Blige. Liesl Tommy, who directed episodes of Mrs. Fletcher, The Walking Dead, Jessica Jones, Queen Sugar, and more, makes her feature directorial debut with Respect from a script from Tracey Scott Wilson (The Americans). Franklin, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age 76, was a part of the film's production up until her death in 2018.
Respect is one of two upcoming Aretha Franklin projects, the other being a National Geographic limited series, Genius: Aretha, which is set to star Cynthia Erivo as the Queen of Soul. However, its premiere was pushed back due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and is now set to arrive this fall.
Here is the synopsis for Respect:
Following the rise of Aretha Franklin's career from a child singing in her father's church's choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon's journey to find her voice.
Originally scheduled to release in August before being pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic, Respect hits limited theaters on December 25, 2020. It will expand to a full wide release on January 15, 2021.