This Sunday, National Geographic debuts a limited series called Genie: Arethastarring Cynthia Erivo. The four-night broadcast event will culminate on March 25, which will mark Aretha Franklin’s 79th birthday.
However, Franklin’s son, Kecalf Cunningham, spoke out against the next series last February on Instagram, claiming that the project deal was “pushed without [the family’s] consent ”and begged fans not to support, by Detroit Free Press.
More recently, Franklin’s granddaughter Grace Franklin posted a video on TikTok’s the protesting family the next project, noting that she and her immediate family feel “extremely disrespected” for this carelessness and feel that the project will have “many inaccuracies” about their matriarch.
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It is public knowledge now that the late Queen of Soul handpicked Jennifer Hudson portray it in a biographical film (that same MGM biographical film, Respect, is coming in August) and Erivo recently told E! News that she is “excited”, there are several projects celebrating and honoring Franklin.
“I am greedy. So, whatever Aretha I get, I am getting,” noted Erivo. “I want to hear Aretha coming out of Jennifer’s mouth. These two have a very special relationship.”
Kecalf is not a fan of Hudson’s Respect or, however, as the 50 year old man claimed last year that he and his children had no part in the next film.
“How can you make a film about someone and not talk to their children or grandchildren about important information?” he wrote on Facebook at the time.
As for Genie: Aretha, Kecalf noted that the familyThe restraint is with the producers of the series and not with the actors, because they know that the actors “are just doing their job”.
“As the showrunner of Genie: Aretha, I can say that every day (and twice on Sunday!) – through COVID, social unrest and all the other challenges we face – our intention was to respect Mrs. Franklin in all aspects of our program and in all decisions we make, ”Suzan-Lori Parks, who is also an executive producer on the series, wrote in a statement.
By previous press releases sent to The root via National Geographic, Genie: Aretha it was dubbed “the first, definitive and only authorized series on the life of the universally acclaimed Queen of Soul”.
“As ‘The Queen’, she deserves every celebration of her life that the world can bring together,” Parks continued. “We worked with many people who knew Mrs. Franklin – from Clive Davis to representatives of her family’s property – to make sure we told her story in an honest and authentic way. And, personally, as a black American, I learned from a very young age that the soul is universal. Our series is about soul, and we are honoring Aretha Franklin’s life and soul. “
The root has contacted representatives of National Geographic to comment on this recent matter and we are awaiting a response.
Update: 17/03/2021, 19h31 ET:
The root received the following statement from a National Geographic representative:
“We received the message from the family, heard and acknowledged their concern for Ms. Franklin’s legacy. We think we have a common goal here – to honor and celebrate Aretha Franklin’s life and legacy. We can say that everyone who worked in Genie: Aretha addressed by telling her story with the intention of respecting Mrs. Franklin in all aspects of the series and in all the decisions we make. The studio worked diligently to obtain an endorsement of Aretha’s estate, which we are grateful to have. We worked with many people who knew Mrs. Franklin – from Clive Davis to members of her family’s property – to make sure we told her story in an honest and authentic way. This series is called Genius– is a tribute to Aretha Genius– something we hope we can all celebrate. One of the comments by a guest who attended our premiere last week was: ‘Aretha has lived life so much … she needs 100 biopics!’ We can’t say any better! ”