Chris Rock Set To Direct Martin Luther King Jr. Biopic

Chris Rock is making moves for his next project. The comedian is taking a more serious tone for his new film, set to examine the life of Martin Luther King Jr.. The Hollywood Reporter has indicated that the actor is in final talks to direct and produce the biopic of the late civil rights icon for Universal.

The film will be based on Jonathan Eig's biography, King: A Life, which has earned a National Book Award nomination. The book has gained acclaim, drawing from the newly founded FBI information on King. The publish described the book as an "intimate portrayal of King as a courageous but emotionally troubled individual who demanded peaceful protest while grappling with his own frailties and a government that hunted him." Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg is also attached to the project as the executive producer via his Amblin Partners, with Kristie Macosko Krieger producing, as well.

In the past, Rock has directed and starred in the TIFF favorite Top Five (2014), Head of State (2003) and I Think I Love My Wife (2007). Currently, he is helming his animated comedy Everybody Still Hates Chris, which is still in the works at Paramount+ and Comedy Central.

In other entertainment news, A24 is adapting Paris Hilton's memoir into a TV series.