Aretha Franklin Says Halle Berry Is Her 'Pick' For Biopic

Aretha Franklin has been vocal about which leading lady she would like to portray her on the big screen, and it appears that the Queen of Soul got what she wanted.

Last year, the legendary singer sent out a press release to The Associated Press stating she wanted Oscar-winning superstar Halle Berry to tackle the lead role in an upcoming biopic about the powerhouse songstress. During a recent phone interview on "The Wendy Williams Show," Franklin said Berry is set to star in the project.

"Halle Berry is my pick," Franklin said to a swell of cheers from the daytime-TV audience. The soul veteran said Berry has been tapped to play an adult version of Franklin but added that the rest of the cast has not been firmed up. "There's a young Aretha that has yet to be named."

A rep for Berry did not respond to MTV News' request for comment at press time.

Franklin — who is recovering from an undisclosed illness reported to be cancer — also said the film has been in the works for years but hinted that a flick could be in production soon now that all the necessary elements are coming together.

"For the last four years, we've been talking about [the film], and I have had a number of offers. Unfortunately, they were not good offers," she explained. "Now, we have something on the table. They have all of the financing on one project and the second project, and he's in the process of writing things for me to approve on the tele-film."

In September, Franklin said that, in addition to Berry, she wanted Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington and Oscar nominee Terrence Howard to appear in the film. The "Respect" diva had apparently already been in touch with the stars, saying that the trio were "enthusiastic about the project and have agreed to take on these roles, subject to further negotiation." The script will be based on her 1999 autobiography "Aretha: From These Roots."

How do you think Halle Berry would do in an Aretha Franklin biopic? Let us know in the comments!

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