Actor and comedian Chris Rock is in final negotiations to direct and produce a biopic of late civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. at Universal Pictures.
The project will be based on Jonathan Eig’s biography “King: A Life” which debuted to much acclaim in May and went on to earn a National Book Award nomination.
The film drew upon newly unearthed FBI information on King with the publisher calling it an intimate portrayal of King as “a courageous but emotionally troubled individual who demanded peaceful protest while grappling with his own frailties and a government that hunted him.”
Though known for his acting, Rock has directed a few films before – namely comedies like “Head of State,” “I Think I Love My Wife” and the acclaimed “Top Five”.
Steven Spielberg will executive produce the project through his Amblin Partners label. Kristie Macosko Krieger is also producing.
Rock will be seen onscreen later this year in George C. Wolfe’s civil rights biopic “Rustin” starring Colman Domingo, and participated in a live stand-up special for Netflix earlier this year.
Source: Deadline
