Aretha Franklin’s Son Blasts Upcoming Biopic ‘Respect’ With Jennifer Hudson

Aretha Franklin‘s youngest son has slammed the forthcoming Jennifer Hudson-starring biopic, “Respect,” claiming he and his family had no input.

“How can you make a movie about a person and not talk to the persons sons or grandchildren about important information?” Kecalf Franklin wrote Saturday on Facebook, writing in all capital letters.

He also spoke out against the upcoming book about Franklin, “The Queen Next Door,” written by photojournalist Linda Solomon.

“How can you put a persons family (image) in a book and not ask permission?” Kecalf continued. “If you are a ‘real’ fan of my mothers….please do not support this. Ask yourself….would you want this done to you?”

He noted the “Queen of Soul,” who died in August 2018 at age 76, only approved of Hudson’s casting.

“Everything else is being done against our wishes,” he ended the post.

Kecalf’s late mother’s estate has been controlled by her niece, Sabrina Owens, but has since come into question since three handwritten wills were discovered in the “A Natural Woman” singer’s couch cushions. A judge subsequently ruled in August that a handwriting expert could examine the documents.

Judge Jennifer Callaghan also placed the administration of Franklin’s estate under court supervision, which meant the court would have a role in major decisions about her estate.

David Bennett, Aretha Franklin’s longtime attorney and lead counsel for Franklin’s estate, told the Detroit Free Press of Kecalf’s Facebook post, “He does not speak for the family. I know he doesn’t speak for his brother Ted White or his brother Clarence Franklin. The grandchildren have absolutely nothing to do with this. What he’s really doing is talking for himself.”

Bennett also told the outlet an MGM representative contacted him about the social media post and “they’re not happy about it.”

“Respect” began filming last fall and is scheduled for Oct. 9 release.

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