We all know Jennifer Hudson can sing, and she’s proved that acting is also part of her repertoire, but can she pull off being the “Queen of Soul”?
According to The Wrap, the Oscar winner is currently in talks to play Aretha Franklin in a biopic produced by Scott Bernstein, producer of Straight Outta Compton. Although talks are still in the beginning stages, the project has been in the works for several years.
The untitled biopic will chronicle Franklin’s rise to fame in the ’60s and ’70s, as well as her relationship with ex-husband Ted White.
Franklin has been very vocal over the last couple of years about any biopic concerning her life. At one point she even joked that Halle Berry could play her, to which the world responded with, “Nah.”
In a Billboard interview last year, Franklin also gave some insight into other actresses who could carry the role.
“Right now it could be one of several people,” she said. “There’s always the producers’ book, who the producer wants you to consider and sometimes unknown names.”
“Audra’s [McDonald] got a great voice to work with, but she’s very Broadway-oriented,” Franklin noted, “but that doesn’t mean she cannot perform in the arena of soul, so that’s why I’m interested in hearing how she would sing my things. The singing is certainly going to be a very, very integral and important part of it.”
Singing will definitely play a major factor, as will having someone who can do justice to Franklin’s persona. She didn’t only sing about “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”—she demands it. And with 18 Grammy Awards and her status as the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she deserves it.