Jennifer Hudson on playing Aretha Franklin: 'It blows my mind'

Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Jennifer Hudson says playing Aretha Franklin is a mind-blowing experience.

The 37-year-old singer and actress said on Wednesday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that it's a dream come true to portray the late singer in a new biopic.

"It's always been my dream to play Aretha, and it's actually happening," she told host Ellen DeGeneres.

The Voice coach confirmed Franklin handpicked her for the film, which is in early production.

"It blows my mind," she said. "I've always looked up to Aretha and to portray her -- I can't even speak about it because it's like, 'Oh, that's a huge task.'"

Hudson said the movie will span the Queen of Soul's illustrious, decades-long career.

"It's not just two, three decades of a career -- this woman had a lifetime of a career. That's like 70 years. I can't even begin to imagine how long it's going to take to cover," she said.

Franklin died at age 76 in August following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Hudson, Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande were among those to perform at the singer's funeral Aug. 31 in Detroit, Mich.

Clive Davis had announced Hudson's casting in January at his annual pre-Grammy gala. Hudson confirmed the news in an Instagram post, writing, "#Arethafranklin u have no idea how humbled, I am!"