Queen of Soul wants Halle and Denzel to play roles in Aretha biopic

Aretha Franklin has a wish list of actors to play parts in an upcoming biopic about Detroit’s Queen of Soul.

It begins with Halle Berry to play the younger Franklin, who burst onto the international pop scene in the 1960s with hits like “Respect,” “Chain of Fools” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Aretha would like to see Denzel Washington as her late father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin; and Terrence Howard as Smokey Robinson.

Excerpt:

The movie, for which Franklin says she’ll be reviewing the script next week, will be based on her autobiography, Aretha: From These Roots, a best-seller a decade ago.

In her release, Franklin says the actors in question are “enthusiastic about the project and have agreed to take on these roles, subject to further negotiation.”

The statement says Washington, for one, “was very interested in the role,” and Franklin “also had a very positive response from her in-person conversations with Terrence Howard and others.”

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