The Queen of Soul finds her voice in the new trailer for Respect, the Aretha Franklin biopic starring Jennifer Hudson that arrives in theaters this August.
The first full preview for the Liesl Tommy-directed film opens with a young Franklin showcasing her gospel talents at the piano. “Singing is sacred, and you shouldn’t do it just because somebody wants you to,” her mother tells her. “What’s most important is that you are treated with dignity and respect.”
The trailer also focuses on the birth of Franklin’s Otis Redding-penned hit “Respect,” with the singer adding its now-iconic “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” to Redding’s 1965 single; in the preview, “Respect” pulls Franklin out of an early career rut and helps give rise to the Queen of Soul.
In addition to Hudson, Respect also stars Marc Maron as producer Jerry Wexler, Forest Whitaker as Aretha’s father C.L. Franklin, Audra McDonald as Aretha’s mother Barbara Franklin, and Mary J. Blige as the singer Dinah Washington.
Respect opens in theaters on August 13th. The film is the latest biopic dedicated to Franklin since the singer’s death in August 2018, following NatGeo’s Cynthia Erivo-starring limited series Genius: Aretha; that series was criticized by Franklin’s family.