Jennifer Hudson to portray Aretha Franklin in new biopic

 

Pop singer and actress, Jennifer Hudson, 36, will portray legendary singer Aretha Franklin, 75, in an upcoming biopic about the Queen of Soul.

Music producer, Clive Davis announced the good news on Saturday night at the annual pre-Grammys party, where Hudson sang a medley of Franklin's songs, including "Think," "Rock Steady" and "Respect."

"When the biopic of the great Aretha Franklin is filmed next year, the artist anointed by Aretha herself to play her is the next performer. Aretha personally told me that last week," Davis said of Hudson.
The mogul who has long-proclaimed Hudson as "the next generation's Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, also added that: "This artist to us is a transcendent performer. She stops any and every show she's in. Her voice is truly incredible. When they ask, 'Where's the next Aretha, where the next Aretha will come from?' I say it's [Hudson]. She's in the studio right now recording what I hope will be a classic album... she's in the tradition of Adele, she's a singer's singer."

According to Deadline, a biopic about Franklin has quietly been in development at MGM. Straight Outta Compton producer Scott Bernstein will produce the film alongside music producer Harvey Mason, Jr., who worked with Hudson on the 2006 film Dreamgirls.