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DreamWorks Studios acquires life rights to the Martin Luther King, Jr. story

Los Angeles, CA (May 19, 2009)-DreamWorks Studios has acquired the life rights to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. from The King Estates it was announced today by Stacey Snider, CEO and Co-Chairman of DreamWorks Studios. Steven Spielberg, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones will produce the bio-pic of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. He became a civil rights activist early in his career as a pastor. He led the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. His pioneering efforts to deliver racial equality through civil disobedience and other non-violent means led to the March on Washington in 1963, at which he delivered his renowned “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1964 he became the youngest person to receive the Noble Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. Dr. King was assassinated in April of 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 39.

Dr. King copyrighted his speeches, books, and famous works during his lifetime. The DreamWorks film will be the first theatrical motion picture to be authorized by The King Estate to utilize the intellectual property of Dr. King to create the definitive portrait of his life.

“In trying to tackle such an ambitious project, the question we had to ask ourselves is, why now? The answer lies in MLK’s own words: “all progress is precarious.” With every step forward, new obstacles emerge and we must never forget that his life and his teachings continue to challenge us everyday to stand up to hatred and equality, “said Stacey Snider.

“We are all honored that the King Estate is giving us the opportunity to tell the story of these defining, historic events, “said Steven Spielberg. “It is our hope that the creative power of film and the impact of Dr. King’s life can combine to present a story of undeniable power that we can all be proud of.”

“The King Estate is committed to working very closely with DreamWorks, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones to create the first major motion picture on the life of my father. We hope that this will be the definitive film on his life and legacy, “said Dexter King, Chairman and CEO of the King Estate.

In a joint statement Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones of iDream said, “We are so pleased that Stacey, Steven, and DreamWorks Studios have given us the opportunity to present this tense, heroic drama, we recognized their standards of integrity and equality which match our goals for this film.”

Suzanne de Passe was nominated for an Oscar for her script, “Lady Sings the Blues” which she co-wrote with Terrence McCloy and Chris Clark. She was an executive producer on the Emmy-nominated miniseries “ Lonesome Dove,” “The Temptations”, “Small Sacrifices,” “The Jacksons”, “An American Dream,”, and “Buffalo Girls.” de Passe began her career at Motown Records as creative assistant to Berry Gordy and eventually becoming President of Motown Productions where she executive produced the highly rated and Emmy-award winning special “ Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever.”

Madison Jones is an Emmy nominated producer and has been a central figure in developing and managing the intellectual property of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program for “Our Friend, Martin” Jones has also executive produced “King: Montgomery to Memphis” for CNN and, “Assassinated: Bobby Kennedy & Martin Luther King, Jr. for TBS. He Co-Produced the 2009 Commander in Chiefs’ Inaugural Ball with Ms. de Passe.

About DreamWorks Studios

In September 2008, Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider and the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group announced the formation of a new motion picture company which will be led by Spielberg and Snider. The new company is the continuation of the DreamWorks Studios which was formed in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. The company won three consecutive Best Picture Academy Awards with “American Beauty,” “Gladiator,” and “A Beautiful Mind” (both co-produced with Universal). Among the company’s other successes have been such films as “Saving Private Ryan” (co-produced with Paramount), “The Ring,” “Minority Report” (co-produced with 20th Century Fox), “War of the Worlds,” ”Dreamgirls,” and “Transformers” (all co-produced with Paramount). The new company has a worldwide distribution deal with The Walt Disney Studios who will market and distribute their films.

King Estate & Beacon Announce "The King Legacy" Book Series

May 27, 2009
Beacon Press, a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), announced today an exclusive agreement to partner with the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr. in a new publishing program, “The King Legacy,” which will give Beacon the sole right to print new editions of previously published King titles and to compile Dr. King's writings, sermons, orations, lectures, and prayers into entirely new editions, including significant new introductions by leading scholars. This partnership brings together the legacy of one of the most important civil rights and social justice leaders in the world with one of the oldest and most respected independent publishing houses in America.

Helene Atwan, director of Beacon Press said, “We feel enormously privileged to be the new publishers of Dr. King's work. His vision and his message are more essential than ever in a world where, despite great gains, the global aspects of the radical inequities Dr. King devoted his life to exposing and addressing are all too apparent. He has much to teach us, perhaps as much today as in his own lifetime.”

Dexter Scott King, representing the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr. Inc, sent remarks which were read at the public announcement. “We are very happy to join with Beacon Press to announce that the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Beacon Press will be entering into an historic partnership to publish the words and writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Beacon Press will be a dedicated public outlet for his work, and will help bring his urgently needed teachings of nonviolence and human dignity, and his dream of freedom and equality to a new global audience.”

The Rev. William G. Sinkford, president of the UUA, said, “Now we have the privilege of making more of [Dr. King’s] work available to the general public. It is an honor for us, one that we cherish. The world needs to hear Dr. King’s vision once again. Even in this era of Obama, with all the hope we feel in our hearts, we need his vision of the Beloved Community as a beacon to guide us, to inspire us and to sustain us. The issues of this day may seem distant from the world of 1965, but the reality is that we are far from realizing his dream. ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’ wrote Dr. King. As we confront our nation’s failed immigration policy; as we recognize that it is the poor and the dispossessed who bear the worst brunt of this recession; as we strive to make environmental justice our goal; as we live into a multi-cultural reality; we need his wisdom to guide us.”

With roots that date back to the abolitionist movement, Beacon is uniquely dedicated to publishing books on social justice, human rights, and racial equality. The press has published pioneering books on race and social justice, including James Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son, Derrick Bell’s Confronting Authority, Cornel West’s Race Matters, Lani Guinier’s Becoming Gentlemen, and Geoffrey Canada’s Fist, Stick Knife, Gun, along with award-winning titles by James Cone, Howard Thurman, Marian Wright Edelman, Robert Moses, and Roger Wilkins.
“The King Legacy” is scheduled to begin with new editions of books published in Dr. King's lifetime that have been unavailable since the 1990s, publishing them on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in 2010, along with a new title, as yet unconfirmed. The first titles to be published will include Stride Toward Freedom, Where Do We Go From Here, Trumpet of Conscience, and Strength to Love. After that, the press hopes to publish two to three new works each year, working with a range of renowned scholars to introduce each volume.