Jennifer Hudson transforms into Aretha Franklin in the stunning trailer for Respect

Alexa, show me Jennifer Hudson's next Oscar.

On Wednesday, a new trailer dropped for the forthcoming, long-awaited biopic about Aretha Franklin, and fans are already stunned by Hudson's transformation into the Queen of Soul. The movie, out in August, is called Respect (though you're allowed to pronounce it "R-E-S-P-E-C-T"), and it will also star Forest Whitaker, Audra McDonald, and Mary J. Blige. "Anyone who has to sing in this movie can actually sing … Everybody has a Tony!" director Liesl Tommy previously told Entertainment Weekly, noting that all the performances were filmed live.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.