Online casting search begins for the biopic 'Respect': Who will play young Aretha Franklin?
Who'll play the tween Aretha Franklin in the movie about her life starring Jennifer Hudson? The search is underway.
An online casting search is happening that could give a young, unknown performer the same big break that Hudson herself got from "American Idol."
MGM is accepting auditions via the web for the role of the Queen of Soul in her early years for the film "Respect," which is set to reach theaters next year.
The project is seeking an African-American girl to play Franklin from the age of 10 to 14, when she was a singing at her father's church in Detroit and emerging as a musical child prodigy.
Candidates must sing for the audition, as the part requires someone who can sing gospel with a soaring soprano voice. And the ability to play the piano is a plus.
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Here's the link with all the info: https://www.castittalent.com/Respect.
The clock is ticking on the film's production schedule. Rehearsals are expected to start in September, with filming planned to launch in October.
"Respect" is based on the life story of Franklin, the iconic superstar who bridged the worlds of pop, gospel and soul with her musical genius and became a social and political icon with anthems like the song of the title.
Before her death in August 2018, Franklin personally selected Hudson to play her in a bio-pic. She also shared her thoughts on the movie with one of its producers, Harvey Mason Jr., a Grammy-nominated producer who has worked on songs for both Franklin and Hudson.
Hudson's career has soared ever since she finished in seventh place on "American Idol" in 2004. She won the supporting actress Oscar for "Dreamgirls" in 2007.
Mason told the Detroit Free Press last August that he and Franklin had spent "countless hours" on the phone discussing aspects of the movie. Their conversations covered "what stories she felt were important and what really made her who she is."
They also talked about which songs "really told her story" and should be included in the feature-length film.
Oscar winner Callie Khouri ("Thelma & Louise") and Tracey Scott Wilson (FX's "The Americans") will write the screenplay for "Respect." The film will be directed by Liesl Tommy, a noted stage director who is also set to direct the film adaptation of Trevor Noah's biography, "Born A Crime," starring Lupita Nyong'o.
The film is scheduled to open Aug. 14, 2020.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Aretha Franklin casting search is on: Who will play legend as a tween?
