Academy Award winner and three-time nominee, writer Ronald Harwood, has been brought on board by DreamWorks to pen the gestating Martin Luther King Jr. biopic.
The studio, who acquired the rights to the project back in May, are working alongside the King Jr. estate in the first film that will be officially authorized in bring his life story to the big screen. The writer and studio will be given full access to King’s intellectual property including his “I Have A Dream” speech. When asked about what his approach will be Harwood didn’t quite seem to know himself: “I will not say anything about my approach to this screenplay except to say what I always say: ‘I will do my utmost to be true to truth.'” Um, right.
While he may not give the best soundbites, Harwood does seem like a suitable choice to write the script. He has written extensively about race issues, particularly Apartheid-era politics, with “Mandela,” “Cry The Beloved The Country,” two novels and two plays covering the topic. Whatever his approach ends up being, it won’t be his first time tackling sensitive, race based material. And for what it’s worth, he took home earned his Oscar for writing “The Pianist.”
The film is being produced Steven Spielberg, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones. At this early stage there are no directors attached but you can bet Spielberg is keeping his eye on this one.
