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CartTaylor Hackford to Direct Aretha Franklin Biopic
Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:33:55
Taylor Hackford, director of Ray, the Ray Charles biopic and husband of Helen Mirren, has signed on to direct the forthcoming biopic about soul diva Aretha Franklin.
Furthermore, Franklin wants actor Denzel Washington to play her father, Baptist minister and activist C. L. Franklin, in the film.
'Retha told Glamour, "He (Hackford) mentioned Denzel first, and I was thinking of Billy Dee (Williams)… and I said 'Hmm…' And when I thought about Malcolm X, and what he did with that, I said, 'Yes! He could do it. He could handle it. If he put a little more weight on and glasses, he could handle it.'"
But what about who should play the Queen of Soul? That's TBD.
"We have Jennifer Hudson, we have Halle Berry, and Audra McDonald," she said, the latter of which is a Broadway star. "That's the last three. I went to see Audra in Porgy and Bess, and I was very impressed with her dramatic ability. She was terrific."
Who should play Aretha Franklin in the biopic?
—Maggie Pannacione
10.15.12
