Interviews with Jennifer Hudson and director Liesl Tommy, about the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic, 'Respect' [VIDEO]

Complete Video Solutions/Movie Show Plus. "Respect" (United Artists Releasing/MGM Studios).

The long-awaited Aretha Franklin biopic movie is finally coming to theaters. Star Jennifer Hudson and director Liesl Tommy were in Detroit at the FOX Theater on Monday to discuss the new film.

A story about the life of The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin (who passed away in 2018) has been long-coming. Film Critic Tom Santilli (WXYZ, Movie Show Plus) interviewed Aretha Franklin back in 2012 when she was in Detroit for a red carpet event surrounding the film, "Sparkle." He just so happened to ask Aretha about a future biopic, where Aretha went into great detail about how she saw her future film starting...it involved her, as a little girl, singing from the pulpit of her famous preacher father, C.L. Franklin's, church.

Well as if guided in spirit, Leisl Tommy's new film, "Respect," begins similarly, with a young Aretha at her father's church (doing what else?) singing. When Tom sat down to interview Liesl Tommy and Jennifer Hudson and relayed that this matched Aretha's vision back in 2012, the director was not prepared...she had no idea this was Aretha's original vision, leading to a "goosebumps" moment, and receiving comfort from Jennifer Hudson.

RESPECT follows the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom...it is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice. It stars Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Heather Headley, Skye Dakota Turner, Tate Donovan and Mary J. Blige and is directed by Liesl Tommy and is distributed by
United Artists Releasing...it is also rated PG-13, and set for theatrical release on Friday, August 13th, 2021.

Tom Santilli's full interview video with Jennifer Hudson and Liesl Tommy can be found below, including the original Aretha Franklin interview clip at the very end. (Watch Below).