Jennifer Hudson belts a stunning snippet of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” in the first teaser for the upcoming biopic about the late singer, Respect. The film is set to open in 2020, although an exact release date has yet to be announced.
The short clip finds Hudson, as Franklin, on an empty stage, backlit in brilliant gold, singing “Respect” almost entirely a cappella — save for some backing vocals and a tension-building synth. As Hudson hits the chorus, the word “Respect” lights up in big letters behind her, then she runs through the song’s iconic spell-it-out refrain.
Liesl Tommy will direct Respect, which will also star Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Tate Donovan, Heather Headley, Skye Dakota Turner and Mary J. Blige.
Along with the upcoming biopic, National Geographic is set to cover Franklin in the third season of its anthology series, Genius, which is expected to premiere next spring. Actress Cynthia Erivo — who played Harriet Tubman in the recent biopic Harriet — will star as the Queen of Soul.