Aretha Franklin was one of music’s most renowned and acclaimed voices even up until her death in August 2018, at the age of 76. Before her passing, being majorly involved with the development of her film, the beloved soulstress hand-chose American Idol alum and acclaimed R&B songstress Jennifer Hudson to play as her in the soul icon’s highly-anticipated biographical feature film, Respect.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie will follow Franklin’s rise to fame, from her beginnings in her father’s choir to her ascent and reign as the chart-topping Queen of Soul. The cast includes a star-studded ensemble comprised of Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Mary J. Blige, Marc Maron, Tate Donovan, and Tituss Burgess.
Needless to say, many people have been looking forward to a biopic on the soul icon’s life story and Hudson has some big shoes to fill. On Friday (Dec. 20), Hudson gave us a first look in her role as the soul singer for the MGM-produced movie. The R&B-soul songstress posted a 30-second teaser to Twitter captioned, “Much R.E.S.P.E.C.T to the Queen of Soul.” Respect is set to open in theaters on October 9, 2020, according to THR. Check out the teaser below: