Aretha Franklin says the biopic based on her life may have been delayed, but it's far from dead. The Queen of Soul, high off the success of her latest album, Aretha Franklin Sings the Diva Classics, says interest in the project has been reignited in recent weeks.
Franklin tells the Wall Street Journal that financing for the project has come through and casting is underway. While she had previously stated she wanted Halle Berry to play her in the film, Franklin now has her sights set on two other actresses for the coveted role. 
“There’s several people that we’re considering. Audra McDonald is one. Audra has a great voice. And she’s Broadway-oriented, but she is an actress,” she noted during the interview. “The question where Audra’s concern is whether or not she could deal with soul as I sing it. But she’s an actress, and so it would be her job to meet that challenge…she just won a Tony for Lady Day, so it’s very possible. It depends on how she feels about it.”

“And then there is the possibility of Jennifer Hudson,” Franklin continued. “And there’s the director’s book of names and faces that I’m not aware of and don’t know about. And then there’s the possibility of someone from the church, maybe. An unknown.”
The project has been in gestation since 2007, but may finally go before cameras next year. Hopefully we can look forward to its release soon!
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