MGM has acquired the rights to an Aretha Franklin biopic with Jennifer Hudson set to star.
News has been circulating about an Aretha Franklin biopic for a while now, but the details have been scarce. Now that a studio has acquired the rights and a star is finally attached, it looks like things might actually be going ahead!
The movie will reportedly be based on Aretha Franklin’s memoir, Aretha: From These Roots which recounts stories from her life and musical career, which has spanned six decades.
According to Deadline, Jennifer Hudson got a chance to prove her abilities at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party. After Hudson performed some of Franklin’s greatest hits for the audience, including “Think” and “Respect,” Davis announced that she would be playing the lead in the upcoming film. Deadline also reported that Franklin handpicked Hudson to play the role.
Also attached to the project are Scott Bernstein as producer and Harvey Mason Jr. as music producer. The latter has previously worked with Aretha Franklin in previous projects and also teamed up with Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls, for which she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.