Universal Pictures will be producing the next film from Paul Greengrass entitled Memphis, which will follow the lead up to the events of Martin Luther King‘s assassination. Escaped convict James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the murder and eventually died in jail from hepatitis C. The new film which is written by Greengrass will follow the last days of the charismatic activist who met an untimely demise, but who’s passing ultimately paved the way for civil rights.
There’s a few other projects that are also being mobilized to tell a similar story – DreamWorks, The Weinstein Company, and HBO all have projects planned. ‘Memphis’ from the no-holds barred director, will be a faithful and insightful look at the terrible events of that fateful day in 1968, and will likely feature some of Martin Luther King’s relationships shared with his family and friends. Filming is set to begin on the movie in June.
The new production marks the return to the studio which Greengrass experienced a rift with after plans were made to move ahead on an alternate Bourne script without his knowledge, which effectively forced the studio to consider a spin-off movie. The Bourne Legacy which is sounding more ludicrous by the moment, has not yet found a ‘Bourne’ and is having trouble settling on who will play the new character. Perhaps this new working relationship could hint at things to come.
While Matt Damon recently spoke of his intentions to return to the series, his camp is said to expect a new Bourne to go into production next year. What does this hold for the Tony Gilroy endeavor? no-one knows at this stage and while his work could be sound, the alternate Bourne realm maybe too much for audiences to digest. This new found union between Universal and Greengrass might just lay the foundations for a proper installment of the Bourne franchise.
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