Do we smell another Oscar win for Jennifer Hudson? The American Idol-turned-Oscar-winning actress’ return to the big screen will be the portrayal of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela opposite Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard as Nelson Mandela in the highly-anticipated biopic Winnie. The film — which some South African protesters argue should feature a South African-born actress in the lead role making its debut at various film festivals next year.

A newly-released promo trailer issued by Equinoxe Films on Tuesday shows Hudson as a young Winnie, her wedding to civil rights worker Nelson Mandela, his 27-year incarceration, and her years as an activist.

Hudson won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie White in the 2006 movie-musical Dreamgirls.

Winnie is due in theaters in 2011.

We’ve got your first look at award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson and Hustle & Flow star Terrence Howard as Winnie and Nelson Mandela on the South African set of the controversial new biopic Winnie.

Although Madikizela-Mandela fought for more than 26 years to win her husband’s release from prison, the couple divorced in 1996 after 39 years of marriage.

Despite the protests of South Africans — who wanted a local actress cast for the role –Hudson, who scored a best supporting actress Oscar for 2006′s Dreamgirls, is tackling the ambitious part of Winnie. For her part, Winnie Mandela has effectively refused to have anything to do with the film.

Lensman Darrell James Roodt is directing the South African-Canadian co-production, which is expected to open in theaters next year.

We heard it through the grapevine that Terrence Howard is in chats to play musical revolutionary Marvin Gaye.

“Nothing’s been signed on paper yet. Everybody who loves music will hate me if I get this one wrong,” says Terrence, who won an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of an aspiring rapper in the 2005 flick Hustle & Flow.

While Marvin’s nearly 30 year career spawned hits like “Trouble Man,” “What’s Going On,” and “Sexual Healing,” the soul star struggled with addiction and loss in his personal life. Gaye was shot to death — one day shy of his 45th birthday — by his minister father in April 1984.

Do you think Terrence can pull it off?

Terrence Howard will star alongside Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson as legendary South African civil rights icon Nelson Mandela in the forthcoming biopic Winnie, Variety said on Thursday.

The movie, which begins shooting in South Africa on May 31, will be directed by James Roodt and is set to feature Hudson as the former wife of Mandela.

Winnie is based on the book Winnie Mandela: A Life by Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob.

Miley Cyrus isn’t the only person in Hollywood getting tired of Jamie Foxx’s mouth. Terrence Howard is hitting back at the comic for comments the Oscar-winner made about him on Big Boy’s Neighborhood earlier this year.

“This is the guy who plays the same character in every movie . . . his album went plastic,” Jamie said of Terrence.

In this month’s issue of Maxim, the Hustle and Flow actor says, “Jamie is a comedian first and an actor second, so he’s always going to revert back to jokes. I’m so glad I didn’t write an album that got played on the pop stations right away [like Foxx's did], because that would have meant that I had conformed.”

Maybe Terrence Howard should have kept his mouth shut about the Chris Brown-Rihanna assault scandal.

After Chris’ arrest for assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna last week, the actor rallied to the defense of the accused batterer, telling members of the paparazzi:

“It’s just life, man. Chris is a great guy. He’ll be alright. And Rihanna knows he loves her, you know? They’ll be alright.”

Terrence later apologized for his remarks, but not before The Smoking Gun unearthed documents revealing that the Oscar-nominated actor was once arrested for beating his estranged wife.

According to The Smoking Gun.com:

Terrence was arrested by Pennsylvania cops in September 2001 for assaulting his estranged wife.

When a Whitemarsh cop responded to the scene, Howard admitted, “I broke the door down and hit my wife.”

Terrence Howard is scheduled to drop his debut album, Shine Through It, September 2. In preparation for the album’s premiere, the Oscar-nominated actor has unveiled a video for his first single. What do you think of “Sanctuary?”

The thirty-nine year old Oscar-nominated star says he was so angry after being cut from a part on the then-popular The Cosby Show that he confronted Bill Cosby and was left out of work for four years.

“I was 19 and had just moved to New York from Cleveland, I got on ‘The Cosby Show’ on my second audition ever….I told him, ‘I’m a man just like you.’ He didn’t like it, and the casting agent never took my calls again.”

Hustle & Flow star Terrence Howard will release his debut album, Shine Through It, on September 2nd. The Oscar-nominated actor also executive produced the LP.