Aretha Franklin may get the Nat Geo Genius treatment, replacing Mary Shelley

Deadline

National Geographic Channel renewed Genius for a third season with a focus on iconic Frankenstein author Mary Shelley. But Deadline reports there are plans to change the subject to The Queen of Soul, who died in August at age 76. "I hear the idea for doing a Franklin-centered Genius came together quickly and was spearheaded by Imagine’s Brian Grazer," reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "While sources close to the matter caution that there are still hurdles in securing all the rights necessary, I hear that everyone involved feels optimistic, and they are moving full-steam ahead with a potential Aretha Franklin third season while deals are being hammered out."  She adds: "Imagine has done multiple projects about iconic music artists, including the award-winning documentary The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years, the film Get On Up about James Brown and the just announced scripted series Wu-Tang: An American Saga."