Chris Rock to develop new Martin Luther King Jr biopic

Universal is gearing up to tell a new cinematic story about the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Text: Alex Hopley
Published 2023-10-06

Chris Rock is in final talks to direct a new biopic from Universal about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Steven Spielberg is being eyed to executive produce and the movie will be based on King: A Life, a book by Jonathan Eig.

As reported by Deadline, this won't be Chris Rock's first time in the director's chair. Previously, he's worked on Top Five, I Think I Love My Wife, and Head of State as a director, but this movie will likely mark his biggest challenge yet.

We don't know anything about the cast or plot of the movie yet, but if Eig's book is a guideline, then it'll both follow the legend that history remembers and the man that Martin Luther King Jr was. We can pretty much say one thing for certain, and that's that Will Smith is not going to be playing the lead.

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