There are few people who could even start to portray music legend Aretha Franklin on film, but Jennifer Hudson feels like she belongs among that number. Which is useful for the new biopic of Franklin, Respect, promising to showcase her career rise and her tune talent. The first teaser trailer for the film is online...
The film follows Franklin’s life from singing in her father’s church, to becoming one of the most legendary musicians of all time, which is pretty much what we expected. Liesl Tommy is in the director's chair for the film, which also stars Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, Marc Maron, Tate Donovan and Tituss Burgess.
Music biopics have been a path to Oscar glory in the past (justice for Taron Egerton!) and this could well hand Hudson a second gold statuette. But that's all for the future – and the film, originally due in August, is now arriving in the UK next January, following a Christmas Day limited release in the States.