An argument over whether Halle Berry would play Aretha Franklin in her upcoming biopic led to a shooting Thursday in Virginia, according to a report.…
An argument over whether Halle Berry would play Aretha Franklin in her upcoming biopic led to a shooting Thursday in Virginia, according to a report.
The squabble broke out around 10:45 a.m. between two men in a barbershop in Suffolk, a witness told local station WTKR .
Michael Jermell Hatton, 44, allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the other man, Tony Jonathan Lundy, 47, once outside the shop. Lundy was in critical condition.
Hatton also was treated for injuries and transported to a local jail, where he was being held without bail.
The men apparently were debating casting choices for a movie based off Franklin’s memoir “ Aretha: From These Roots .”
Berry turned down the role of the “A Natural Woman” singer, saying it was because she couldn’t sing.
“I can’t sing!” Berry said in 2011. “If I could carry a tune, I’d consider it. Someone should tell Aretha that I can’t do her justice.”
The role eventually went to Jennifer Hudson — though Franklin made it clear she preferred Berry.
“She was my first choice. Everything’s subject to negotiation, and she shouldn’t underestimate her own talent,” Franklin wrote in a letter to “The Wendy Williams Show.” “There are a number of other leading ladies out there that can definitely handle the role. I never expected Halle to sing. She’s an actress, not a singer. Many actors have portrayed vocalists by lip-synching to the artists’ original recordings.”
Franklin died Thursday at the age of 76. The Queen of Soul had been suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer.
