Oliver Stone drops out of ‘MLK’ bio after studio rejects ‘adultery’ themes which would upset blacks
There’s no room for conspiracy theories, rumors or just alleged affairs in the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr according to DreamWorks and Warner Bros. who rejected Oliver Stone’s latest script.
Martin Luther King, Jr. 1964 Dick DeMarsico, World Telegram staff photographer public domain/Library of Congress
The JFK director took to twitter to discuss his exit from the project:
Sad news. My MLK project involvement has ended. I did an extensive rewrite of the script, but the producers won’t go with it. – @TheOliverStone
The script dealt w/ issues of adultery, conflicts within the movement, and King’s spiritual transformation into a higher, more radical being – @TheOliverStone
I’m told the estate & the ‘respectable’ black community that guard King’s reputation won’t approve it. They suffocate the man & the truth.- @TheOliverStone
I wish you could see the film I would’ve made. I fear if ‘they’ ever make it, it’ll be just another commemoration of the March on Washington – @TheOliverStone
Martin, I grieve for you. You are still a great inspiration for your fellow Americans—but, thank God, not a saint. – @TheOliverStone
King estate holds a tight grip on the civil-rights leader’s namesake and are very protective of his legacy. The studios were working in tandem with the family, who granted the right to use King’s copyrighted speeches, but now seems to have raised eyebrows at Stone’s approach.
Director Paul Greengrass (United 93, Captain Phillips) faced a similar predicament in 2011 with “Memphis,” another biopic that mentioned King’s alleged extramarital affairs. Universal nixed “Memphis” after the estate reportedly told the studio it would condemn the movie if it enters production.
[…] Birmingham Jail"? Most Americans would likely flub …March for MLKWyoming TribuneOliver Stone drops out of 'MLK'bio after studio rejects 'adultery'themes which &…The Global DispatchFort Polk remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.DVIDSBenton Spirit -Avoyelles […]