Watch Audra McDonald at the Piano With a Young Aretha Franklin in New Trailer for Respect | Playbill

Film & TV News Watch Audra McDonald at the Piano With a Young Aretha Franklin in New Trailer for Respect The biopic features the six-time Tony winner as mother to the Queen of Soul (played by Jennifer Hudson).

Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald is Barbara Franklin, mother to legendary Queen of Soul Aretha, in the upcoming biopic Respect, hitting movie theatres August 13. See McDonald spotlighted in the film's second official trailer above.

The Color Purple star and Dreamgirls Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha Franklin, leading a cast filled with many theatre favorites, including McDonald, Heather Headley, Forest Whitaker, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Kimberly Scott, and Tituss Burgess. Respect is directed by Liesl Tommy (Eclipsed) from a screenplay by Tracey Scott Wilson (The Good Negro).

As previously reported, the film was first scheduled to debut Christmas 2020 but was pushed back to January 2021. Initially aimed to compete at the 2021 Oscars, the biopic now stands to be in the running next year.

Another biography series on Franklin, starring Hudson's Color Purple co-star Cynthia Erivo, premiered on the National Geographic channel earlier this year.

 
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