‘Respect’ Trailer: Jennifer Hudson Hits All the Right Notes (Video)

The new trailer for the upcoming Aretha Franklin biopic Respect premiered Sunday during the BET Awards, and it shows Jennifer Hudson demanding respect.

The trailer starts off with Hudson singing Franklin’s hit song “Respect,” with gold neon lights that spelled R-E-S-P-E-C-T in the background.

The highly-anticipated film follows Franklin’s journey to becoming one of the most iconic musicians of all time. Later in the trailer, we get a look at the film’s other stars, including Mary J. Blige and Marlon Wayans.

Directed by Liesl Tommy, the cast includes Forest Whitaker, Audra McDonald, Queen Latifah, Marc Maron, Tate Donovan, Tituss Burgess and Sky Dakota Turner.

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Prior to the trailer’s premiere during the BET Awards, Hudson performed a striking cover of “Young, Gifted and Black,” which was originally recorded by Nina Simone, then by Franklin in 1972. During her performance, Hudson was dressed in an emerald green gown and played a white grand piano, before moving to do a standing performance with four backup singers.

Respect was set for release in theaters in August 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it will now have a limited release in the U.S. on Dec. 25, before its full wide release on Jan. 15, 2021.

Watch the official trailer for the MGM film above.