According to an exclusive report by Deadline, Universal Picture is about to start working on a biopic which will detail the legendary life of Martin Luther King Jr.
The film, which will be titled ‘King: A Life’ is reportedly being directed and produced by Chris Rock and Steven Spielberg will be the executive producer on the project. This wouldn’t be the first time Chris Rock hopped in the director’s chair. He first dove into the directing lane for the film, ‘Top Five’ which he also wrote and which became the biggest deal at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival where Paramount Pictures bought world rights, according to the news outlet. Rock also directed Head of State and I Think I Love My Wife.
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King’s involvement in the civil rights movement gained national attention when he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. This boycott, which lasted for over a year, aimed to desegregate the city’s public bus system and was successful. King was a co-founder of the SCLC in 1957, an organization dedicated to advancing civil rights through nonviolent means. He served as its first president and used the SCLC as a platform for organizing civil rights protests and initiatives.
In 1963, King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This event drew over 250,000 participants and helped to build momentum for the passage of civil rights legislation. King’s efforts and the broader civil rights movement played a pivotal role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
In 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to nonviolent resistance to racial injustice. King’s leadership and the Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama played a crucial role in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which aimed to eliminate barriers to voting for African Americans in the South. King expanded his civil rights activism to northern cities like Chicago, where he focused on issues such as housing discrimination and poverty.
As we all know, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. His death was met with widespread shock and grief, and it had a profound impact on the civil rights movement. But his legacy endures as a symbol of the struggle for civil rights and social justice. His work and philosophy of nonviolent resistance continue to inspire movements for equality and justice around the world.