EW confirms that MGM has acquired the right to the Aretha Franklin biopic.
Portraying Franklin in the movie is American Idol veteran, Jennifer Hudson. Actually, it was Franklin herself that hand picked Hudson to star in the biopic as the Queen of Soul.
This won’t be the first time Hudson will be starring in an onscreen musical drama, having starred in Dreamgirls, her debut feature film, winning an Oscar for her performance.
Franklin’s career spans six decades with 44 Grammy nominations. She made history as the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The biopic will be based on her memoir, Aretha. The film is a long-gestating project and has been in the works since 2011.
The news was announced during Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party. Davis introduced Hudson to sing a couple songs and then told the audience that she will be playing Franklin.
Producing the project are Scott Bernstein and Harvey Mason, who has worked with Franklin and also produced music for Dreamgirls.
