First Images from Ava Duvernay's MLK Biopic 'Selma'

Despite two stirring, acclaimed dramas in I will Follow and Middle of Nowhere, Ava Duvernay has largely been overlooked as a major directing force. Her films have generally been smaller character pieces that don't make it beyond the art house, but her next film is poised to make some serious waves this year. We're talking Oscar-level waves. She's currently hard at work on the star-studded Martin Luther King biopic, Selma, and now the first images from it have arrived.

Once a project to be spearheaded by Lee Daniels, the Brad Pitt-produced film took over last year and assembled a cast that rivals (and kind of resembles) Daniels' The Butler. David Oyelowo stars as Martin Luther King, Jr., with Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding, Tessa Thompson, Tom Wilkinson, Common, Andre Holland, Jeremy Strong, Carmen Ejogo, Keith Stanfield, Giovanni Ribisi, Alessandro Nivola, and many more joining him. The story will focus on King's efforts to secure voting rights for all, leading to the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Selma opens in limited release on Christmas Day, then goes wide January 9th 2015. [EW]