It’s the second of two (2) Martin Luther King Jr projects that Oprah Winfrey is attached to produce – the other being Ava DuVernay’s Selma, which David Oyelowo is attached to star in, with Paramount distributing.
Simon has reportedly agreed to write at least the first part of the planned six-hour project, which is based on the acclaimed book trilogy by Taylor Branch, America in the King Years.
The miniseries will cover the freedom rides, the civil rights march on Washington that he was organizing when he was murdered, as well as King’s relationships with John F. and Robert Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Simon will reportedly work on the script with Treme co-creator Eric Overmyer.
No casting nor expected premiere dates have been announced yet. But this is the first news of any real progress on the project in years, so it might be another few years before there’s any further progress.
