Genius: Aretha: trailer

A trailer has been released for the next chapter of National Geographic anthology series Genius.

Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are amongst executive producers of this first-ever, scripted miniseries on the life of Aretha Franklin, the universally acclaimed “Queen of Soul.”

It stars Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin.

This premieres in the US in March, but a date for Australia is yet to be confirmed.

The anthology series will explore Franklin’s musical genius, incomparable career, and the immeasurable impact and lasting influence she had around the world. Grammy Award winner Franklin was a gospel prodigy and outspoken civil rights champion and is widely considered to be the greatest singer of her generation, receiving countless honours throughout her career. Without knowing how to read music, Franklin taught herself to play the piano, began to record songs and sang on gospel tours with her father. She signed her first record deal at age 18 with Columbia Records before moving to Atlantic Records and then Arista, where she was united with founder Davis and began a more than 40-year partnership with him. The legendary singer is one of the world’s best-selling musical artists of all time, with more than 75 million records sold globally during her career. Her voice was identified as a “natural resource” by her home state of Michigan.