National Geographic Premieres Newest Installent Of Emmy® Award-winning Anthology Series: Genius: MLK/X
GENIUS: MLK/X Stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. (‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’) as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Aaron Pierre (‘The Underground Railroad’) as Malcolm X, Weruche Opia (‘I May Destroy You’) as Coretta Scott King, and Jayme Lawson (‘The Batman’) as Betty Shabazz
The Series Also Marks One of the Last Roles for Emmy-Winning Actor Ron Cephas Jones (‘This is Us’)
GENIUS: MLK/X Premieres 5 February 2024 on National Geographic
Johannesburg, 30 January 2024: The newest installment of National Geographic’s Emmy Award-winning anthology series, GENIUS, premieres this February. For the first time, the docu-drama series explores the lives of two iconic geniuses: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. GENIUS: MLK/X will premiere on National Geographic (DSTV 181, StarSat: 220) on Mondays at 19:50 (CAT) from 5 February 2024, with two brand new episodes double-billed each week.
GENIUS: MLK/X follows both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre) from their formative years, where they were moulded by strong fathers and traumatic injustices, to their rich, parallel stories as they shaped their identities and became the change they wished to see in the world. Influenced as children by different upbringings and experiences, King by the Jim Crow-era South and life in the church before finding his voice at Morehouse and Boston University, and X growing up under the constant, deadly violence of the Klan and falling into a life of vice and incarceration where he was introduced to the Nation of Islam and found his voice. The two visionaries ultimately rose to pioneer a movement.
The docu-drama series offers an intimate look into their complex lives as husbands, fathers, brothers and sons, taking them off the iconic T-shirts to show their humanity. GENIUS: MLK/X brings their wives, Coretta Scott King (Weruche Opia) and Betty Shabazz (Jayme Lawson), who are often portrayed as peripheral figures, to the forefront and shows them as formidable equals of the Movement. Episodes will explore the moments between the monumental historical events we’ve come to know and shine a light on how each leader and those closest to them questioned their resolve and decisions as they navigated the rigors of balancing a public persona with a private life. While King and X met only once and often challenged each other’s views, neither would have been as successful without the other.
For Undisputed Cinema, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Francie Calfo are executive producers. For Imagine Television, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Kristen Zolner are executive producers. Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon are showrunners and executive producers. For Madison Wells, Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane serve as executive producers. For EUE/Sokolow, Sam Sokolow is the executive producer. Jeff Stetson (“The Meeting”) penned the pilot and is the executive producer. Channing Godfrey Peoples (“Miss Juneteenth”) directed the pilot episode and also served as co-executive producer. Crystle Roberson is co-executive producer and directed episodes 402-406. Ambassador Shabazz served as a consulting producer.
Three previous seasons of Genius (Genius: Einstein, Genius: Picasso, and Genius: Aretha) are currently streaming on Disney+.
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