Jennifer Hudson is set to star in a biopic based on the life of legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin.
MGM acquired the rights to develop the motion picture and signed the American Idol alum and The Voice coach to portray Franklin in what’s now an untitled project.
Jennifer, a Best Supporting Oscar winner for her role in Dreamgirls, performed Aretha hits Saturday night (Jan 27) at the annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy party. Davis said by way of introduction that Franklin had personally picked Hudson for the role.
I’m assuming it was no coincidence when Jennifer bust out an Aretha hit, “I Never Loved a Man” during the filming of The Voice UK Blind Auditions, currently airing on ITV across the pond. The clip aired during the premiere a few weeks ago.
Other movie roles from Jennifer include Sex and the City, The Secret Life of Bees, and Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq. Her next film is Monster starring alongside Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Ehle and Timothy Blake Nelson.
Producers attached are Scott Bernstein (Straight Outta Compton) and music producer Harvey Mason are attached as producers. Mason, part of the production team The Underdogs helped produce the Dreamgirls, Sing and Pitch Perfect 2 soundtracks.