Rebecca Naomi Jones, Patrice Covington to Star Opposite Cynthia Erivo in GENIUS: ARETHA

Rebecca Naomi Jones, Patrice Covington, Kimberly Hébert GregoryMalcolm Barrett, and Sanai Victoria are set to co-star opposite Cynthia Erivo in Genius: Aretha, according to Deadline. Erivo was previously announced to star as Aretha Franklin in the anthology series from National Geographic.

Anthony Hemingway will executive produce and direct the pilot episode of the next installment anthology series, from Imagine Television and FOX 21 TV Studios. Genius: Aretha will begin production in December for a spring 2020 premiere on National Geographic channels.

Barrett will play Ted White, Aretha's first husband and business manager, who develops relationships with songwriters and producers and picks some of her biggest hits. But as Aretha gains fame, White's heavy drinking and volatile behavior ends their marriage.

Covington and Jones will portray Erma and Carolyn Franklin, respectively, Aretha's sisters, who are both talented performers in their own right and sing backup for Aretha.

Hébert Gregory will play Ruth Bowen, a pioneer in her field, the head of a successful black-owned agency, who represents Aretha, booking her into world-class venues and getting her onto the covers of Time and Ebony magazines.

Victoria will be Little Re (young Aretha), the shy, immensely talented daughter of celebrated Detroit preacher Clarence LaVaughn (C.L.) Franklin, who thrusts her into the spotlight at a very young age.

GENIUS dramatizes the fascinating stories of the world's most brilliant innovators, exploring their extraordinary achievements along with their volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships. The third season of the anthology series will explore 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. Grammy Award winner Franklin was a gospel prodigy and outspoken civil rights champion and is widely considered to be the greatest singer of the past 50 years, receiving countless honors throughout her career.

Without knowing how to read music, Franklin taught herself to play the piano; at the young age of 12, she began to record songs and sing on gospel tours with her father. She signed her first record deal at age 18 with Columbia Records. In 1966 she moved to Atlantic Records, where she recorded many of her most iconic songs. In 1979 she began a 40-year friendship and partnership with Clive Davis, which produced a number of hit songs, including the highest charting and bestselling song of her career, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," a duet with George Michael. The legendary singer is one of the world's bestselling musical artists of all time, with more than 75 million records sold globally during her career. Her voice was identified as a "natural resource" by her home state of Michigan.

Previously announced, Suzan-Lori Parks, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of "Topdog/Underdog," is executive producer and showrunner for GENIUS: ARETHA. Imagine is partnering with Warner Music Group for this third season, which will again be executive produced by Imagine's Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Francie Calfo. Legendary hit record producer Clive Davis and Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO Craig Kallman have also joined as executive producers. Returning executive producers include Ken Biller (Genius: Einstein, Genius: Picasso), Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane (MWM Studios), and Sam Sokolow (EUE/Sokolow). Diana Son joins as executive producer. In addition, Imagine's Anna Culp serves as producer alongside Peter Afterman.

Erivo is repped by United Talent Agency, ID, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, and Pekioff Mahan.

National Geographic, the company behind the recent Oscar-winning and seven Emmy-winning FREE SOLO, in 2017 premiered the first season of GENIUS, which starred Geoffrey Rush as the brilliant scientist Albert Einstein. Biller was showrunner and creator for the multi-Emmy-winning GENIUS: PICASSO and GENIUS: EINSTEIN. GENIUS: EINSTEIN earned 10 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series, as well as Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for Rush. The follow-up season, GENIUS: PICASSO, starred Antonio Banderas as the titular Spanish painter and matched much of the success of its predecessor, earning seven Emmy nominations - and two wins - as well as Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for Banderas.

Imagine has a history of creating timeless and culturally impactful films, shows and documentaries in the world of music, including the Academy Award-winning film "8 Mile," the Grammy Award-winning documentary "The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years," the critically acclaimed documentary "Pavarotti" and Emmy-winning television drama "Empire." The company also produced the film "Get on Up" about James Brown, and many documentaries, including "Jay Z's Made in America," "Katy Perry: Part of Me" and "Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band." Imagine is currently in production on the Hulu series "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" and the sixth season of "Empire"; it is also developing a film version of the musical "tick, tick ... BOOM!" with Lin-Manuel Miranda directing, and a documentary about legendary musician Louis Armstrong.