Kevin Hart Movie Could Sponsor Aretha Mural On Bed-Stuy Subway

Update: An STX spokesperson told Patch the film production company did not approve LeRoy McCarthy's proposed mural.

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN -- A Kevin Hart movie might sponsor a subway memorial to Aretha Franklin if the MTA approves the project and the memorial includes a movie quote and attribution to the star.

"'Why can't we listen to Aretha' - Kevin Hart from The Upside" could appear above an "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" mural at the Franklin Avenue station on Fulton Street if transit officials approve LeRoy McCarthy's updated plan, first submitted last August, he told Patch.

"I am viewing this artwork as a community beautification and empowerment project," said McCarthy, chief of local media company Heterodoxx INC. "It would not cost anything to the MTA to have this done."

The new proposal features a quote from Hart, whose invitation to host Oscars was recently rescinded because of homophobic comments made during a stand-up set and on Twitter, from his new movie set to be released Friday.

"The Upside" tells the story of a parolee, played by Hart, who is hired to assist a quadriplegic billionaire played by "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston.

"Have you ever listened to opera?" Cranston's character asks his new caregiver.

"Yeah opera is really big in prison," Hart replies. "Why can't we listen to Aretha?"

McCarthy's proposed banner draws on a city-wide art project when McCarthy and others stenciled "Aretha" next to several Franklin Avenue station signs in the days after her death.

The Brooklyn media maven sought a more permanent tribute and has since successfully lobbied for small "Respect" signs that now adorn the Franklin Avenue and Franklin Street platforms in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Because he's still hoping for a bigger tribute, McCarthy has been working with Alissa Grayson, who heads marketing for "The Upside" producers STX Films, and an MTA marketing director to design and pitch the mural project, he said.

"Hopefully the MTA will allow RESPECT to be shared with NYC," McCarthy told Patch in an email.

"With cooperation the mural can be installed quickly, but have a longstanding impression on NYC and beyond."

Neither Grayson nor the MTA immediately responded to Patch's request for comments.

Photo courtesy of LeRoy McCarthy