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Bruce Glikas/FilmMagicOn Sunday night, CBS will air its star-studded special Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul, but now there’s some more exciting news involving the late Aretha Franklin.
Deadline reports that the long-awaited Aretha biopic — called Respect, of course — will hit theaters on August 14, 2020. As previously reported, Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson will portray Franklin in the movie, which is being written by Oscar-winner Callie Khouri and directed by Liesl Tommy.
The film will follow the 17-time Grammy winner from her days as a child singing in her father’s church to her rise to global superstardom. Harvey Mason Jr., a songwriter and producer who’s worked with both Aretha and J-Hud, is one of the project’s producers.
As Deadline notes, mid-August is a very popular time to launch a movie that is expected to be a major competitor come awards season.
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