Jennifer Hudson (Respect). Hudson plays Aretha Franklin, in this biopic that spans from Franklin’s troubled teen years in Detroit through the 1970s. Hudson delivers a powerhouse performance, even singing signature hit songs by the Queen of Soul herself.
Respect made $24M domestically at the box office and $31M worldwide. Relatively, in 2019, Judy also made $24M domestically and earned Renee Zellweger her second Oscar. Hudson could be charting a similar path.
Respect was released in theaters in August and is now streaming online and available On Demand.
Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers). Cruz plays a middle aged pregnant mistress with no mothering instincts who befriends and counsels a troubled young woman who is pregnant at the same time.
Parallel Mothers is a Spanish language film with subtitles and will be released in theaters in December.
Halle Berry (Bruised). Berry directs and stars in this film about an embattled MMA fighter who abruptly reunites with her estranged son while fighting for her sobriety. This film has the vibes of cult classic “Losing Isaiah” and award-heavy “Million Dollar Baby.”
Bruised will be released in select theaters and will stream on Netflix November 24.
Ruth Negga (Passing). Negga stars as a biracial woman who disguises herself as a white woman hoping for a better life. But her world is upended when her childhood best friend threatens to reveal this dark secret to her bigoted husband.
Passing is available to stream on Netflix.
Rachel Zegler (West Side Story). Zegler plays a lovesick Puerto Rican teenager madly in love with a rival gang member that her family is at war with.
West Side Story will be released in theaters on December 10.
LONG SHOTS:
- Naomie Harris stars in Swan Song as the wife of a terminally-ill man who secretly clones himself to protect her and their son from the grief of his death.
- Tessa Thompson plays a biracial woman in Passing, envious of her childhood best friend who is living an idealistic life disguised as a white woman.
- Regina King plays an affiliate in Rufus Bucks’ gang of outlaws who goes to war with a rival gang in the all-Black western, The Harder They Fall.
- Chante Adams stars in A Journal for Jordan as the pregnant wife of a marine who leaves a manual of courage to their unborn son before he’s deployed off to war.
- Taylour Paige headlines Zola based on a viral Twitter beef between a stripper and a prostitute after their wild road trip together ends in armed robbery, kidnapping and murder.
