Jennifer Hudson is carrying on Aretha Franklin's legacy! During the virtual BET Awards on Sunday, the first trailer for the Queen of Soul's biopic, Respect, debuted, with Hudson starring as the late singer.
The trailer's debut came shortly after Hudson's stunning performance of Franklin's "Young, Gifted and Black." Hudson, dressed in a gorgeous green gown, began on the piano before taking a stand. She belted out the song while her backup singers, wearing all white, offered support from a distance.
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Watch the trailer for Respect below.
Hudson, who won an Oscar for her role in 2006's Dreamgirls, opened up on The Kelly Clarkson Show in December about how Franklin handpicked her to star in the story about her life.
"She's an iconic figure that we all love and respect and admire," the American Idol alum recalled, noting that Franklin went to see her in a production of The Color Purple. "She called me and she was like, 'I made my decision and it is you I want to play me. But don't you tell anyone'... 'Ma'am, I won't say a thing. I'll do whatever you tell me to do.'"
She added of the casting, "I'm still in shock."
Franklin died on Aug. 16, 2018, at the age of 76, and Hudson performed at her funeral.
Respect is to be released in December.
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