Jamie Foxx is after that Oscar gold once again. Foxx is said to take on the pivotal role of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oliver Stone directed biopic. As of right now the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic is an untitled work by DreamWorks, but we’re expecting the process to speed up now that the project has a star like Jamie Foxx attached to the role.
What’s significant about this Martin Luther King Jr. biopic is that Oliver Stone was able to gain full support of the King family. Dexter King, Bernice King, and Martin Luther King II are all executive producing the project. This means they all have a big say in what makes it to the big screen when Jamie Foxx takes on the role.
As we all know both Jamie Foxx and Oliver Stone aren’t strangers in taking on larger the life figures. In 2004, Jamie Foxx played singer Ray Charles, and swept the awards season, as he took home a Golden Globe award, an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Critics Choice award, and a Hollywood Film Festival award.
This isn’t the only Martin Luther King Jr. biopic in the works, but it certainly looks like the most promising MLK biopic. Simply put, it’s the biopic that will actually see the light of day. Other Martin Luther King Jr. biopics in the works is Paul Greengrass’ Memphis , which will star Forest Whitaker. Another is Selma , which sees The Butler’s David Oyelowo attached to the role of Martin Luther King Jr.
While we haven’t had a biopic that focused on Martin Luther King Jr. there’s a few actors who have depicted the political figure in films. Paul Winfield portrayed King in a TV mini-series, Nesan Ellis of True Blood played King in The Butler , and Martin Luther King Jr.’s own son Dexter King played his father in an educational children’s film, Our Friend, Martin.
Is Jamie Foxx a good pick to play Martin Luther King Jr.?
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