Movies

Jennifer Hudson And Mary J. Blige Shine In First Trailer For Aretha Franklin Biopic RESPECT

By Michelle McCue | June 29, 2020

Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha Franklin in RESPECT A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert / © 2020 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

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.

Director Liesl Tommy makes her feature film debut with Respect. Tommy is the first Black woman ever nominated for a Tony award for Best Direction of a Play in 2016 for Eclipsed, and is an Associate Artist at the Berkeley Rep and an Artist Trustee with the Sundance Institute’s Board of Trustees.

Check out the first trailer starring Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Skye Dakota Turner, Tate Donovan, and Mary J. Blige. See the film this December.

This is going to be fantastic! Jennifer Hudson has previously won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for DREAMGIRLS! She was also awarded a Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Effie White in the film.

Time for the two-time Grammy award winner to clear a space for another Oscar Statuette.

This is sure to be an Oscar contender next year. Bet on Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Hudson (Best Actress), Mary J. Blige (Supporting Actress), Forest Whitaker (Supporting Actor) and hopefully for director Liesl Tommy, and possibly cinematography, production design, costume and hair & makeup.

Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige as Dinah Washington in RESPECT A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert / © 2020 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

Actor Jennifer Hudson and director Liesl Tommy on the set of RESPECT A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert / © 2020 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

(ctr) Marlon Wayans stars as Ted White and Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin in RESPECT A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert / © 2020 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

With a story by Callie Khouri (Oscar ® winner for Thelma & Louise) and Tracey Scott Wilson, and screenplay written by Tracey Scott Wilson. Wilson and Tommy have worked together creatively since the 2009 play The Good Negro written by Wilson, directed by Tommy at The Public Theatre. Wilson was a writer on FX’s The Americans which garnered her a Peabody Award as well as Emmy and WGA Award nominations.