Selma, the Martin Luther King Jr. drama that Oprah Winfrey is producing, will be released on Christmas Day. The film centers on the 1965 civil rights march in the Alabama town, with David Oyelowo cast as King.
This long-gestating project was once a dream of The Butler’s Lee Daniels, but it has been handed over to Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere) to direct. Back in February, Paramount agreed to distribute the film and Winfrey officially jumped on board to produce.
With Winfrey helping finance, DuVernay was able to build a large ensemble cast around Oyelowo with experienced stars. Andre Holland is playing Andrew Young, while Tom Wilkinson will star as President Lyndon B. Johnson. Wendell Pierce was cast as Rev. Hosea Williams.
Other members of the cast include Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Alessandro Nivola, Tim Roth, Stephen Root, Dylan Baker and Giovanni Ribisi, notes Entertainment Weekly.
Winfrey also has a part and will play Anna Lee Cooper, who is described by the studio as “an elderly woman and visible leader amongst the civil rights protesters in Selma who tried to register to vote and was unfairly denied by the sheriff.”
Selma, which is already in production, will be released on Dec. 25, 2014 to qualify for the Oscars. A wider release is set for Jan. 9, 2015.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com