Oh, that slap was so serious for Chris Rock. Per Deadline, the comedian who got smacked by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars is now in final talks to direct and produce a biopic about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the minister and civil-rights activist who believed in nonviolence. The upcoming Universal Pictures movie will be based on King: A Life, the best-selling biography by Jonathan Eig that pulled from fresh sources, including newly declassified FBI information. Steven Spielberg is reportedly also onboard to executive produce.
While Rock might be better known for his stand-up comedy work in specials like Selective Outrage, he’s been in the director’s chair before. He previously helmed feature films such as Top Five, Head of State, and I Think I Love My Wife, in addition to some Everybody Hates Chris episodes, comedy specials, and even the music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song “Hump de Bump.†Earlier this year, Rock also worked on another MLK-adjacent project, starring in Rustin as real-life NAACP leader Roy Wilkins, who helped organize the 1963 March on Washington where King made his most famous speech. Perhaps Rock has a dream to bring King’s message back to the big screen as many times as he can.