J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot has partnered with author/talk-show host Tavis Smiley to 
bring his book, Death Of A King, 
to the small screen. Bad Robot has acquired rights to the book about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final days in association with Warner Bros Television, where the company is based on the TV side.
Published by Little, Brown & Co. last fall to solid reviews, Death Of A King tells the dramatic and untold story of King’s tumultuous last year leading to his 1968 assassination. Abrams executive produces alongside Bad Robot’s new head of TV, Ben Stephenson, and Smiley.
It hasn’t been determined yet whether Death Of A King would be adapted as a drama or event/limited series. The project will be developed internally before it is taken out to networks in the fall.
Bad Robot took a similar route with Stephen King‘s bestselling novel 11/22/63, which the company acquired and developed internally before taking the drama out, landing a straight-to-series order at Hulu and tapping James Franco as the lead.
Death of a King follows the success of the feature Selma, which focused on another period in the life of the civil rights leader.
Please Bad Robot, have Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo be a part of this.
Noooooooooooooo
Check out Smileys speech at The Commonwealth Club – his inspiration for this book is very moving, brilliant man
I’m curious, aren’t there any other black Americans worthy of having their life story told? Better yet, maybe the story of American suffragettes that died during the struggle so women could vote? Nah, that’s not important. BTW, black men were granted the right to vote before ANY women – white or black, could vote. But, that’s no big deal….smh.
You don’t know that a movie starring Carey Mulligan and Meryl freakin’ Streep is coming out later this year about the suffragette movement?
Yipppeeee! One movie. I’m sure that most school aged kids don’t even know what suffragette means…..oh, and where’s a nationally recognized day recognizing women’s struggles for equality? Right. There is none. But, we’ve got MLK Day, and here in CA — the hero of FARM WORKERS, Ceasar Chavez Day. Farm workers. For real. That’s certainly more significant than taking one dy a year to recognize women who’ve fought, been imprisoned, and died, for human rights for over 55% of American citizens.
So, quite honestly, I’m sick of hearing about MLK. Enough already. Enough books, enough movies, enough TV specials, enough parades, enough…enough…enough.
White men were granted the right to vote and to do everything else before ANYBODY. Does that mean anything to you or do you consider that to be the natural order of things? And do you know how many projects about non-white people are kicked to the curb by the studios. It’s much easier to get funding for a safe MLK piece then it is for say a Shirley Chisolm or even a Cochise – assuming you know who these people are.
Surprised to see lit agent of this David Vigliano not executive producing. Thought that’s why he sold the company to Ron Burkle.