Martin Luther King Jr. is getting the biopic treatment. The civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis in 1968. Though an ancillary figure in countless films and the subject of many documentaries, MLK has never taken the lead in a feature film. His story will be taken to the big screen by no less a filmmaking luminary than Steven Spielberg, Variety reports.
The King estate has authorized the film and has given the production rights to intellectual property such as MLK’s famous speeches.
Spielberg will produce for his DreamWorks studio. No word yet on who will be tapped to direct, write, and, star, though obviously now is the time to begin wild speculation. I’ll nominate Memphis native Vicellous Reon Shannon (right picture below) to play MLK.
