Paul Greengrass poured months into the development of his Martin Luther King project Memphis. But it seemed to fall apart in April 2011 when Universal backed out of financing it, which led the Bourne Ultimatum director to move on to other projects. Now it appears to be back on track, with Greengrass and producer Scott Rudin are rounding up fresh financing.
Greengrass’ script deals with the run-up to King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, when he arrived in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. But it also follows the hunt for the man who would was convicted of shooting him dead, James Earl Ray. And in addition, it aims to paint a rounded, human picture of King, as a man giving in to infidelity even as he became a hero.
King’s heirs have objected to some of the portrayal, which might have been part of the reason the deal fell apart in the first place. But now, with film backers Wild Bunch in talks to help it get made, Greengrass is apparently looking to make this his next directing job, though it’ll likely compete with his plan to make a film about FC Barcelona.
His most recent work, the Somali pirate kidnapping drama Captain Phillips, is set to hit our cinemas on October 11 next year with Tom Hanks in the lead.