Paul Natkin/Getty Images; ABC/Craig SjodinAretha Franklin has found her girl.
At music mogul Clive Davis‘ pre-Grammys party on Saturday, Davis announced that Jennifer Hudson will play Franklin in the upcoming biopic about the Queen of Soul’s life. Franklin is said to have hand-picked Hudson for the role.
Hudson took to Instagram to share the news. “And this guys…I don’t even know what to say…look at God!” she wrote, captioning an image of the news story. “#Arethafranklin u have no idea how humbled…I am!”
Of course, Jennifer first rose to fame as a contestant during the 2004 season of American Idol, before going on to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 2006 film Dreamgirls.
J-Hud can also can be seen in Monster, which recently premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Franklin has expressed interest in having Hudson portray her in a biopic as far back as at least 2005.
According to Deadline, MGM is interested in acquiring and financing the Franklin biopic, which potentially will span the six decades of the music legend’s career.
Straight Outta Compton producer Scott Bernstein and Harvey Mason Jr., who produced the music for the Dreamgirls movie and worked with Aretha on her 2014 album Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, are attached to produce the biopic.
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