Martin Luther King’s legacy seems to have found willing friends in DreamWorks, super producer Suzanne de Passe and writer Kario Salem, who are backing yet another project on the iconic civil rights leader. This project, however, has the blessing of the King estate, whereas others have languished on the shelf for years.
The Lee Daniels-directed flick, Memphis, was going to focus on Dr. King’s final days. But it was viewed like kryptonite to the King family. Worse, Universal pulled out of the movie. Including things such as King’s womanizing and patronizing prostitutes is not the way to draw the support from King’s heirs, who viciously protect their father’s image.
Writer Salem is best known for writing the 2001 Robert De Niro-Edward Norton drama, The Score. He is in negotiations to pen the project, which also sees Warner Bros. coming on board to co-finance and to distribute with Disney’s Touchstone label. (DreamWorks is housed at Disney.)
De Passe secured her legendary status in the music and movie industry when she created the immortal “Motown 25” special almost 30 years ago where Michael Jackson unleashed the moonwalk. The former right-hand woman under Motown founder Berry Gordy, she convinced the music label chief to sign the Jackson 5. Much later, de Passe also created the Temptations movie that also accrued widespread publicity and praise.
Salem is something of a hot writer these days. He’s scripting Scarpetta as a starring vehicle for Angelina Jolie and wrote Mavericks, which Curtis Hanson is planning to direct this summer.
