Looking to draw attention during this year's awards season, Paramount has set a Christmas Day release for the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic SELMA that's being directed by Ava DuVernay. The drama will be led by David Oyelowo who will play the civil rights icon. Oyelowo is no stranger to films based on factual events having starred in THE BUTLER, LINCOLN, RED TAILS, and THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND.
You may recall that Oliver Stone was at one point attached to helm the project which would have seen his version of the script tell a darker side to King’s life. We may never know what that version may have looked like, but the movie certainly moved forward with some heavy hitters behind it.
Here is the synopsis:
SELMA is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
I assume the release date means Paramount is confident in the picture and would like people to take notice. It has some competition though; also opening that day is Angelina Jolie’s UNBROKEN which depicts the life of Louis Zamperini (watch the great trailer here). The eventual 2015 wide release of SELMA will mark the 50th anniversary of the march.
Oprah Winfrey, who is also producing, plays civil rights leader Annie Lee Cooper; Tom Wilkinson plays President Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Carmen Ejogo will play King’s wife Coretta Scott King. Lorraine Toussaint, Cuba Gooding Jr., Common, Wendell Pierce, Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi and Tim Roth round out the great cast.
SELMA opens in limited release December 25th 2014.