

The rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom.
Acting
Hudson spent years preparing; Franklin herself approved before dying.
Direction
Liesl Tommy's stage roots make every musical number electric.
Sound
Hudson sings live on camera — no lip-syncing, no shortcuts.
Director
Liesl Tommy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Aretha Franklin personally selected Jennifer Hudson for the role in 2015, calling her 'my choice' in private conversations before her death.
The film's release coincided with a post-2020 reckoning about Black women's unpaid labor in the music industry — making Aretha's fight for her masters feel urgently contemporary.