National Geographic has officially announced the premiere date for the next instalment in its highly anticipated, multiple Emmy® award-winning anthology series, GENIUS. The series this time around will be honouring the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin. Starring double Oscar®-nominee Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, The Color Purple) in the title role, Genius: Aretha, will premiere in a special double episode event across the continent, exclusively on National Geographic from Wednesday 30 June 2021, at 21:00 (CAT). Today would have been the late Aretha Franklin’s 79th birthday.
GENIUS is National Geographic’s critically acclaimed anthology series that dramatizes the fascinating stories of the world’s most brilliant innovators and their extraordinary achievements with their volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships.
This third season will explore Aretha Franklin’s musical genius and incomparable career, as well as the immeasurable impact and lasting influence she has had on music and culture around the world. Franklin was a gospel prodigy, an outspoken civil rights champion and widely considered the greatest singer of the past 50 years, receiving countless honours throughout her career. Genius: Aretha will be the first-ever, definitive and only authorised scripted series on the life of the universally acclaimed Queen of Soul.
“Aretha Franklin’s voice was just one part of the incredible legacy she left behind, adding to her civil rights advocacy and her true musical genius, and so much more,” said Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa. “National Geographic’s commitment to going deeper, pushing boundaries and going further is embodied in this definitive and awe-inspiring series, which we are thrilled to be bringing to viewers and fans across the continent this June.”
Genius: Aretha will premiere in a special double-episode event on Wednesday 30 June at 21:00 (CAT), followed by weekly single-episode premieres thereafter.
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