Jennifer Hudson dazzles as Aretha Franklin in new 'Respect' trailer
Jennifer Hudson wowed during the 2020 BET Awards last night -- in more ways than one.
First, the "American Idol" alum, 38, delivered a tribute performance of Aretha Franklin's 1972 hit, "Young, Gifted and Black," for the virtual awards show.
Then, we got a taste of her as Franklin in the trailer for the upcoming biopic about the iconic singer, "Respect" -- named after the 1967 song she made famous.
In addition to showing us the Oscar winner as Franklin, the trailer for the Liesl Tommy-directed flick also gave us glimpses of some of its other stars. These include Forest Whitaker, Mary J. Blige, Marlon Wayans and more.
"Respect" was originally scheduled for release on Aug. 14 before being pushed to Oct. 9 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it is scheduled for a limited release on Dec. 25 before going wide on Jan. 15, 2021.
This project is separate from the one National Geographic season of "Genius" starring Cynthia Erivo as Franklin, set to debut sometime in late 2020.
Franklin, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76 in 2018, is one of the most prolific Black performers in pop culture history, having amassed 18 Grammys and inspired countless other Black performers.
