Steven Spielberg slated to do a film on Martin Luther King Jr.

By Frank James

Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG studio has obtained the rights from the estate of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for a biographical movie on the civil-rights icon.
The studio says Spielberg will be joined in producing the biopic by Suzanne de Passe, a long-time Hollywood executive, and Madison Jones, who has produced documentaries on King and Robert F. Kennedy.
Spielberg's participation in this project obviously provides it with the kind of Hollywood titan one would expect for such a monumental undertaking, a major feature film the life of one of the nation's most historic figures.
De Passe is much less known generally but is also a Hollywood figure of some significance. As a writer, she won early praise for her "Lady Sings the Blues" screenplay.
But she made a huge impact, especially as an African American woman, when she optioned the Larry McMurtry novel "Lonesome Dove," then produced the hugely successful television miniseries.
DePasse and Jones also have a connection to President Barack Obama: they co-produced the 2009 Commander in Chief's Inaugural Ball, according to the DreamWorks press release