After earning an Oscar nomination for playing Harriet Tubman, and right in time for the awards ceremony tomorrow night, we’re now getting our first look at Cynthia Erivo playing none other than Aretha Franklin in season three of the National Geographic anthology biopic, “Genius.”
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Erivo has proven herself as a breakout performer in a short amount of time, with outstanding roles in “Widows” and “Bad Times at the El Royale,” the last of which also has her use the musical abilities she has used on the stage to earn a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in “The Color Purple” as well as earning a successful career as a singer. Now she is portraying the legendary singer Aretha Franklin what National Geographic describes as “the first-ever, definitive, and only authorized scripted limited series on the life of Aretha Franklin.” The anthology series has previously devoted seasons to the life of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso.
“What kind of music do you really want to make,” an unseen Jerry Wexler (David Cross) asks Erivo’s Franklin in the teaser. She replies, “I want to make hits.” We see glimpses of Franklin’s life as both an established singer, to her tumultuous first marriage to Ted White (Malcolm Barrett), and her introduction to gospel and jazz at the hands of her father, Baptist preacher C. L. Franklin (Courtney B. Vance). According to Vanity Fair, Erivo will perform Franklin’s hits in the show.
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There is also a film in the works about Franklin’s life called “Respect¸” starring Jennifer Hudson set to open later this year. Meanwhile, “Genius: Aretha” will premiere over four consecutive nights starting Memorial Day, Monday, May 25.
Watch the teaser for “Genius: Aretha” below: