‘Respect’ Teaser: Jennifer Hudson is Aretha Franklin in This New Biopic

Jennifer Hudson is coming for that Oscar, so everyone might want to get the hell out of her way. The actress and singer can currently be seen in Tom Hooper’s nightmarish Cats, and while she’s probably not about to get an awards season nod for that, come next year, all bets are off. Because Hudson stars as the legendary Aretha Franklin in Respect. Not only is Hudson playing Franklin, she’s also singing Franklin’s songs, which is no easy feat. Watch the Respect teaser below.

Respect Teaser

It’s not easy to match the pipes of Aretha Franklin, but that’s not stopping Jennifer Hudson. As you can see (and hear) in the teaser above, Hudson does a fantastic job channeling Franklin’s singing style. This is the type of performance that makes Oscar voters go nuts. I mean, heck, if Rami Malek can win awards for playing Freddie Mercury while not even bothering to do his own singing, you can be damn sure voters are going to pay attention to Hudson here.

For comparison sake, here’s the real Aretha Franklin performing “Respect.”

Respect follows “the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice.” In addition to Hudson, the flick features 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.

Liesl Tommy, who directed episodes of Mrs. Fletcher, The Walking Dead, Jessica Jones, Queen Sugar, and more, makes her feature directorial debut here, with a script from Tracey Scott Wilson (The Americans). Look for Respect in theaters October 9, 2020. You can also check out the poster below.