DreamWorks has acquired the life rights to Martin Luther King Jr. and is bringing a biopic on the slain civil rights leader to the bigscreen.
Steven Spielberg, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones will produce.

King, who was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis at the age of 39, copyrighted his speeches, books and famous works during his lifetime. The DreamWorks project marks the first film to be authorized by King's estate and gives the producers the right to utilize King's intellectual property -- including his famous "I Have a Dream" speech delivered during the 1963 March on Washington -- to create the definitive portrait of his life.

"We are all honored that the King Estate is giving us the opportunity to tell the story of these defining, historic events," Spielberg said. "It is our hope that the creative power of film and the impact of Dr. King's life can combine to present a story of undeniable power that we can all be proud of."

A King film has been a longtime dream for Spielberg and DreamWorks CEO and co-chairman Stacey Snider, who has been working feverishly on acquiring the rights since exiting Paramount Pictures and setting up a solo enterprise.

King's son Dexter, who is chairman and CEO of the King Estate, has been embroiled in a legal tussle with his siblings Bernice King and Martin Luther King III over who controls the personal papers of their late mother, Coretta Scott King, among other things.

King, who was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination, was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.

"In trying to tackle such an ambitious project, the question we had to ask ourselves is, 'Why now?' " Snider said. "The answer lies in MLK's own words: 'All progress is precarious.' With every step forward, new obstacles emerge and we must never forget that his life and his teachings continue to challenge us every day to stand up to hatred and inequality."

De Passe was an executive producer on the miniseries "Lonesome Dove."

Jones has been a central figure in developing and managing the intellectual property of King. He also exec produced "King: Montgomery to Memphis" for CNN and "Assassinated: Bobby Kennedy & Martin Luther King, Jr." for TBS.

Jones and de Passe co-produced the 2009 Commander in Chief's Inaugural Ball


http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003915.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

Is DreamWorks' dream of bringing a Martin Luther King Jr. biopic to the bigscreen about to be shattered?
One day after Daily Variety reported that Steven Spielberg had gained full access to the King Estate for what would be the first-ever narrative feature about the slain civil rights leader, two of King's children are threatening legal action over the project.

Bernice King and Martin Luther King III have been embroiled in a legal battle with brother Dexter King, who is chairman-CEO of the King Estate, over who controls the personal papers of their late mother, Coretta Scott King. Bernice King told the Associated Press on Tuesday: "This is a deal that Mr. Spielberg and his people ... have entered into believing that they have the blessing of the King Estate. They don't have the blessings of Bernice and Martin King."

Still, DreamWorks insiders said they are confident that family infighting will not affect the project, which is in early development but is already garnering a great deal of interest from prospective writers and talent following the Daily Variety story.

Though he didn't address his siblings specifically, Dexter King released a statement on Tuesday evening saying he alone is in charge of granting access to his father's intellectual property. "The King Estate is committed to working very closely with DreamWorks (and producers) Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones, whom we chose to create the first major motion picture on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. We hope that this will be the definitive film on his life and legacy. For over 15 years, I have had the honor of being the chief executive of the King Estate Corp. and am charged with the duties of managing my father's name, image, likeness, recorded voice, copyrighted works and rights of publicity."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003984.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

I hope that the film will be made. I think that Spielberg will do a great job with it.

It's something that hasn't been done before and it sounds interesting. It's too bad though the kids are fighting over things, it's not what their parents would want.