Spielberg does MLK

It’s one of the biggest and most inspirational biopics never told in movies: Martin Luther King, Jr. Now the life of the civil rights icon is finally making its way to the big screen. Steven Spielberg will produce an upcoming DreamWorks biopic based on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., the first time the King estate has authorized a film. The blessing from the King family means that the project will be able to properly use King’s “intellectual property” including his famous “I have a dream speech” and other works. Spielberg and DreamWorks CEO Stacey Snider had been feverishly chasing the rights to the project since leaving Paramount. It’s unclear whether this film would fall under the deal announced earlier this year to release a number of projects through Walt Disney Pictures.

Spielberg said in a statement, “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.” While getting a quality script is obviously extremely important to the film’s development (as of yet, no writer is attached), an even bigger question is who you would cast to play King. Jamie Foxx? Terrence Howard?