It’s been a little over a month since we heard any news on Memphis, and with director Paul Greengrass’ track record of habitual project hopping, many speculated that the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. picture could be dead. Not so. It’s back with a renewed vengeance thanks to involvement from Universal. The studio has decided to fund the project, and mega-producer Scott Rudin, the man behind The Social Network and True Grit, has confirmed the speculation and officially boarded.
According to Deadline, the project will get rolling in June, speeding ahead of two similar themed projects from both the independent Selma and Dreamworks’ offering that was the favored choice of the family. It’s not surprising the King’s would have preferred one of the other pictures. Greengrass’ take, researched from his own time working as a reporter, supposedly includes intimate details on the Reverend’s faltering marriage and balls to the wall boozing. That’s not the memory most of us want to take away from Dr. King’s life, but the facts are the facts. Expect a scandal.
With Greengrass out of the Bourne series, he has the perfect opportunity with this project to build on United 93’s Oscar nomination. The subject matter is there, but it remains to be seen whether he can put together an honest biopic worthy of the Civil Rights’ leader.
