Emmy winner Courtney B Vance has been roped in to play Aretha Franklin's father CL Franklin in National Geographic's "Genius: Aretha".
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the third season of the anthology series will chronicle the life of the Queen of Soul. Cynthia Erivo plays the lead in the series.
CL Franklin was an influential minister and civil rights activist.
Anthony Hemingway, who has previously worked with Vance on "People v OJ Simpson", is an executive producer and producing director on "Genius".
"It's an honour to join the 'Genius: Aretha' team, and to bring to life the magnificent story of the Queen of Soul, an amazing woman who my wife, Angela, and I loved dearly.
"Aretha's father, CL Franklin, had a profound impact on her trajectory from a girl in a gospel choir to a global phenomenon both in a good way and a bad way. I'm eager to dive into his story, and to have the tremendous opportunity to work with the undeniable talents of (showrunner) Suzan-Lori Parks and Cynthia Erivo. And I'm always excited to work with Anthony Hemingway," Vance said.
The cast for "Genius: Aretha" also includes Malcolm Barrett, Patrice Covington, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Rebecca Naomi Jones and Sanai Victoria.
The series gets into production in December and is scheduled to premiere in 2020.
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