Chris Rock may be director of Martin Luther King biopic

Chris Rock is in the final stage of negotiations with Universal to direct a biopic of Martin Luther Kingaccording to the Variety. The feature film will be based on the biography considered definitive of the activist — King: A Lifein Jonathan Eiglaunched in May this year.

Unpublished information provided by the FBI and hundreds of interviews will be used as reference. The objective is to portray Martin as “a courageous but emotionally troubled individual who demanded peaceful protests while dealing with his own weaknesses and being persecuted by the government.”

If this Lincoln vampire movie is a hit I’m gonna do Martin Luther King ninja warrior.

— Chris Rock (@chrisrock) June 10, 2012

It’s not the first time that Rock takes on the direction of a film. He drove A Poor Guy in the White House (2003) and some episodes of Everybody hates Chris. The series is inspired by the life of the comedian himself.

Although he was part of a controversial moment at the 2022 Oscars, the actor’s reputation doesn’t seem too damaged, as even the renowned Steven Spielberg will join the project as executive producer.

Just over a year ago, Rock received a slap from Will Smith after joking about a health condition Jada Pinkett. The decision to Will divided opinions: some of the spectators found the speech Chris unacceptable and an argument for a slap, others disapproved of the act of violence.