MGM(LOS ANGELES) — Jennifer Hudson wowed during the 2020 BET Awards Sunday night, in more ways than one.
First, the 38-year-old American Idol alum delivered a tribute performance of Aretha Franklin’s 1972 hit, “Young, Gifted, and Black,” for the virtual awards show.
Then we got a taste of Hudson Franklin in the trailer for Respect, the upcoming biopic about the iconic singer, named after the 1967 song she made famous.
In addition to showing us the Oscar-winner as Franklin, the trailer also gives us glimpses of some of its other stars, including Forest Whitaker, Mary J. Blige, Marlon Wayans and more.
Respect was originally scheduled for release on August 14 before being pushed to October 9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the film is scheduled for a limited release on December 25 before going wide on January 15, 2021.
This project is separate from the one National Geographic has for the forthcoming season of Genius, starring Cynthia Erivo as Franklin, set to debut later this year.
Franklin, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76 in 2018, is one of the most prolific and revered Black performers in pop culture history, winning 18 Grammys, selling over 75 million records worldwide, and inspiring countless other performers.
By Carson Blackwelder
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