Disney+ Original Series “Genius: MLK/X” from National Geographic Sets Ensemble Cast
The popular “Genius” series is back with a focus on iconinc civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Jr. and Macolm X. Casting includes Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Aaron Pierre as Malcolm X, Weruche Opia as Coretta Scott King, and Jayme Lawson as Betty Shabazz.
Inspired by Jeff Stetson’s ‘The Meeting’ and Peniel E. Joseph’s ‘The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.,’ Channing Godfrey Peoples Set to Direct Pilot Episode and Serve as Co-Executive Producer, Joining Executive Producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and Showrunners Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon.
The series will explore the formative years, pioneering accomplishments, dueling philosophies and key personal relationships of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Pierre). While King advanced racial equality through nonviolent protest, Malcolm X argued forcefully for Black empowerment, identity and self-determination. With their formidable wives, Coretta Scott King (Opia) and Betty Shabazz (Lawson), by their sides, King and Malcolm X became synonymous with the civil rights era and the fight for racial and economic justice. While they met only once and often challenged each other’s views, neither would have been as successful without the other.
