The life of Aretha Franklin from singing as a child in her father’s church’s choir to becoming an iconic superstar and civil rights activist.
Who's Involved:
Release Date:
Friday, August 13, 2021 (Nationwide)
mature thematic content, strong language including racial epithets, violence, suggestive material, and smoking
Plot: What's the story about?
Following the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, Respect is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice.
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Poll: Will you see Respect?
Who stars in Respect: Cast List
Jennifer Hudson ... Aretha Franklin
"Sandy Wexler" , "Cats"
Forest Whitaker ... C.L. Franklin
"Powder Blue" , "Arrival"
Marlon Wayans ... Ted White
"Naked" , "Behind the Smile"
Audra McDonald ... Barbara Franklin
"Beauty and the Beast" , "The Best Thief in the World"
Mary J. Blige ... Dinah Washington
"Trolls World Tour" , "Body Cam"
Marc Maron ... Jerry Wexler
"Worth" , "What Is Life Worth"
Tituss Burgess ... Reverend Dr. James Cleveland
"I Hate Kids" , "Dolemite Is My Name"
Saycon Sengbloh ... Erma Franklin
Hailey Kilgore ... Carolyn Franklin
Tate Donovan ... John Hammond
"Worth" , "What Is Life Worth"
Skye Dakota Turner ... Young Aretha Franklin
Heather Headley ... Clara Ward
Who's making Respect: Crew List
A look at the Respect behind-the-scenes crew and production team. The film's director Liesl Tommy last directed Born a Crime.
Director
Screenwriters
Producers
Scott BernsteinHarvey Mason
Stacy Sher
Companies
Watch: Respect Trailers & Videos
Production: What we know about Respect?
Key Facts
- With a story by Callie Khouri (Oscar® winner for Writing, Thelma & Louise) and Tracey Scott Wilson, and screenplay written by Tracey Scott Wilson. Wilson and Tommy have worked together creatively since the 2009 play The Good Negro written by Wilson, directed by Tommy at The Public Theatre. Wilson was a writer on FX’s The Americans which garnered her a Peabody Award as well as Emmy® and WGA Award nominations (6/6/2021).
- "My dream for the film -- and for Aretha and her legacy -- was to create a piece of cinema that feels like a classic you have to see in a movie theater. You have to see it on a big screen because her life was so big it deserved that." – Liesl Tommy, director of Respect (6/6/2021).
- Callie Khouri, who wrote “Thelma & Louise” and is the creator of TV's Nashville, is writing the script (3/9/19).
- Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson was handpicked by Aretha Franklin to play her before the singer's death (1/11/19).
Filming Timeline
- June 2021: The film was in Completed status.
- December 2019: The film was in Post-Production status.
- January 2019: The film was in Pre-Production status.
- March 2018: The film was in Development status.
Stage director Liesl Tommy is on-board to direct the biopic.
Respect Release Date: When was the film released?
Respect was released in 2021 on Friday, August 13, 2021 (Nationwide release). There were 14 other movies released on the same date, including Free Guy, Don't Breathe 2 and Raging Fire.
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