1/13/2011

Paul Greengrass to direct 'Memphis' about the assassination of Martin Luther King?

I was worried there would be some backlash against Paul Greengrass after Green Zone failed to really connect with either critics or audiences, but it appears I had nothing to worry about. Not only is he the lead dog to helm the massive 3D Cleopatra film everyone's talking about, but he's even got a project that appears to be closer to his sensibilities possibly about to kick off.

Vulture reports that Greengrass is looking to write and direct 'Memphis', a thriller about the days leading up to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Greengrass researched and wrote the film himself, which according to the story "looks at King’s life while trying to organize the city’s sanitation workers in the spring of 1968, just before his murder on April 4 of that year."  That was a particularly turbulent time in King's life as he juggled a struggling marriage along with an increased role as labor organizer. 

Scott Rudin, who is also behind the Cleopatra film, could be brought in to produce.  I'm much more interested in seeing Greengrass tackle these types of personal stories rather than big budget epics.