Since his days on Saturday Night Live, Chris Rock has been a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, both in front of and behind the camera.
The guy has an outstanding portfolio about to grow much more loaded. It includes work from TV programs like Everybody Hates Chris and Fargo, movies like The Longest Yard and Amsterdam, and a ton of stand-up and stage work.
Working with Steven Spielberg, Rock is slated to helm a film on the civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.
According to Deadline, Chris Rock is in final talks to direct and produce the Jonathan Eig-penned book King: A Life, which Universal Pictures has acquired the film rights to. Serving as an executive producer, Steven Spielberg will participate.
In2007, Rock told Collider that Jerry Seinfeld had conned him into joining Bee Movie by claiming that Spielberg was involved; this would be the first time the two have collaborated. Almost fifteen years later, these guys may finally work together professionally.
Rock directed the comedies Top Five, Head of State, and I Think I Love My Wife, so this won’t be his first time behind the camera. Still, helming a biopic about one of the most significant individuals in American history is a considerable advancement, and having Spielberg on his side will undoubtedly be very helpful in helping him refine this area of his craft.
Interestingly, this news was released a little over a month after Rock’s next film, Rustin, had its Telluride Film Festival debut. He portrays civil rights leader Roy Wilkins in the movie, who assisted in planning the 1963 March on Washington, D.C., the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Chris Rock has been pushing his artistic boundaries quite a bit, from this Martin Luther King Jr. film Rustin to his 2021 horror film Spiral: The Book of Saw. Behind the scenes on the King biography, he will be joined by Steven Spielberg’s co-founder Amblin Partners’ producer, Kristie Macosko Krieger.
King: A Life, a New York Times bestseller that received a National Book Award nomination. It is unique Among previous King biographies in that it uses material from newly declassified FBI files.
Keep a watch on CinemaBlend for updates on the status of Chris Rock’s Martin Luther King Jr. biopic since there is no set date for the film’s release or the commencement of filming.
Meanwhile, Rock in Rustin will be available to Netflix customers beginning November 3. Throughout the remaining months of 2023, several additional new film releases are scheduled. With a Paramount+ membership, you may view The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg’s most recent film, which comes out in 2022.
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