Selma: David Oyelowo To Star As MLK Jr In Upcoming Biopic

On Christmas Day, director Ava DuVernay will be introducing the story of American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in the biopic Selma. Of course, many have wondered about the need for yet another Martin Luther King Jr. story line, but Selma is largely based on the 1965 [Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama] voting right marches, and will recap Dr. King?s successful efforts to secure voting rights for minorities.

British actor of Nigerian descent and rising star, David Oyelowo takes the lead as Dr. King, as he brings the civil rights icon to life in the big screen. Oyelowo has had a long and illustrious acting career, with a start in theatre in 1999, where he was cast in lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Most notable was Oyelowo?s critically acclaimed performance as King Henry VI in the trilogy This England: The Histories, which made him the first black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare. Over the years, he has taken on substantial roles in television and film, and more recently starred in Lee Daniel?s The Butler.

Oyelowo is cast alongside Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lorraine Toussaint and Wendell Pierce.

Image: Atsushi Nishijima