Aretha Franklin Chooses Jennifer Hudson to Play Her in Film Biopic

Clive Davis told the audience at his pre-Grammy party that Jennifer Hudson will be playing Aretha Franklin in the upcoming film biopic about the Queen of Soul. According to Deadline, Franklin hand-picked Hudson to portray her.

The film will be produced by Scott Bernstein and Harvey Mason Jr. who has worked with both Franklin and Hudson. He produced the music for the film Dreamgirls, for which Hudson won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

The filmmaker and screenwriter have yet to be announced.

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Franklin has won a total of 18 GRAMMY AWARDS and is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. Franklin has been honored throughout her career including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in which she became the first female performer to be inducted. She was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In August 2012, Franklin was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Franklin is listed in at least two all-time lists on Rolling Stone magazine, including THE 100 Greatest Artists of All Time; and THE 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

As an actress, Hudson made her film debut portraying Effie White in Dreamgirls, for which she gained worldwide acclaim and won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the role of Shug Avery in the revival of The Color Purple. As a singer, Hudson has released three studio albums. Her debut album Jennifer Hudson, released in 2008, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA, with sales exceeding a million copies worldwide. The record was nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning the 2009 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Her second album I Remember Me, released in 2011, also debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. Her third and most recent album JHUD peaked in the top ten and featured the Grammy-nominated track "It's Your World". She also became the principal singer of The Color Purple musical album, which earned her the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride