Daniels choosing between two civil rights movies for next project

Lee Daniels(Precious) has already gathered an impressive group to headline Selma, his proposed film surrounding the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. He's gathered Robert Deniro, Hugh Jackman, Lenny Kravitz, Cedric the Entertainer and more, but the issue holding the film had more to do with money than casting.  While those issues were being worked out, Daniels agreed to write and direct The Butler. No, it's not a Mr. Belvedere biopic, it's a sweeping epic following the life of an African-American servant through seven presidential administrations.

In an interview with Black Voices, Daniels revealed that the funding for Selma has been finalized. But now he's got a choice to make. Which civil rights themed film does he tackle?

Daniels: The script is in, the actors are there, some of them are stars. The money is there, it’s just a matter of whether I’m able to do it right now. Is it the one for me? I’m just trying to figure it out for me, right now. Is it the right piece?

Clearly he doesn't want to do both, at least not back to back. All signs point to him sticking with The Butler because of the scope and originality of the project, which he calls his "Gone with the Wind" or "Forrest Gump". If that's how he feels about the strength of the material, it's obvious which film he's gonna choose.

So if that's the course he chooses to take, what happens to Selma? It's pretty much ready to go. It would just need a director to lock it down. Would the cast continue to participate without Daniels? Is it possible that the project could be pushed back to give Daniels some breathing space in between the two flicks?  That much is unclear. The Butler sounds like the more intriguing film to me, so I'll be looking at it closely when casting news starts to trickle in.