National Geographic is honoring Aretha Franklin’s “Genius.” The Queen of Soul will be the protagonist of “Genius” Season 3, Deadline reports. Each year the anthology series traces the story of a history-making innovator or gamechanger. Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso were the subjects of Seasons 1 and 2, respectively.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks will exec produce and showrun the third season. Joining her as EPs are mogul and longtime Franklin collaborator Clive Davis and Atlantic Records chairman and CEO Craig Kallman.
The Franklin installment of “Genius” will cover the “Respect” singer’s iconic career, how her work changed music and the world, her time as a gospel prodigy, and her civil rights activism. Many of her biggest hits, such as “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” and “Chain of Fools,” will be included in the project, as will her renditions of “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me,” “Freeway of Love,” and “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves.”
“Aretha Franklin had the ability to empower generations through her iconic music, and I’m excited to finally be able to tell her story, a career passion of mine,” said “Genius” exec producer Brian Grazer. “All through her life she used her voice to elevate people and the causes she believed in, especially the women’s and civil rights movements. You can hear the hopes and sorrows of a divided nation in her soulful voice, penetrating and motivating people at their core in a deeply emotional way,” he emphasized. “She cut through the pain of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination to help heal and unite America with her music and, in the process, ushered in the post-gospel era of rhythm and blues. We’re so grateful she shared her genius with the world.”
“Aretha and I shared a 40-year friendship, ever since she cooked me dinner to talk about working together to reinvigorate her career,” added Davis. “I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with her and her incredible instrument. She was a gift to the world, one that will last for many generations.”
Production on “Genius” Season 3 will begin this summer for a planned early 2020 premiere.
Franklin received 18 Grammys, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and countless other awards and accolades throughout her nearly-six-decade career. Her records have sold over 75 million copies worldwide, and she was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She died August 16, 2018, of advanced pancreatic cancer. She was 76.
“Amazing Grace,” a 1972 documentary chronicling Franklin’s legendary recording of the titular album, one of the best-selling gospel records ever, received an awards-qualifying theatrical run in late 2018. No word on when to expect a wider release.
Liesl Tommy is helming a Franklin biopic starring Jennifer Hudson and penned by“Thelma & Louise” scribe Callie Khouri.
Parks made history as the first black woman to ever receive the Pulitzer for her play “Topdog/Underdog.” She’s written plays and musicals such as “Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3),” “Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Musical,” and “In the Blood.” Most recently she penned a film adaptation of Richard Wright’s “Native Son.” HBO nabbed the rights to the coming-of-age tale ahead of its Sundance premiere last month. Parks is also attached to write a Billie Holiday biopic.
“Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley was originally set to be “Genius'” third season subject, but the plan changed shortly after Franklin’s death. However, we still might get Shelley’s story eventually. Deadline notes that it “remains in consideration for future installments.”
