Till star Jalyn Hall is back in his biopic bag as he takes on the role of a young Martin Luther King Jr.
Deadline reports that Hall, who portrayed Emmett Till in the 2022 biopic, has been added as a guest star to Disney+ and National Geographic’s series Genius: MLK/X. Hall will play King in his childhood, while Kelvin Harrison Jr. will portray King in his adult years. As previously reported, Harrison will star alongside Aaron Pierre, who will portray Malcolm X. Weruche Opia will play Coretta Scott King, with Ron Cephas Jones starring as Elijah Muhammad and Jayme Lawson as X’s wife, Betty Shabazz.
The series is executive produced by Gina Prince Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood through their production company Undisputed Cinema. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will also executive produce with Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon, who will both serve as showrunners. Deadline reports that Channing Godfrey Peoples will also co-executive produce and direct the pilot episode from a script by Jeff Stetson.
Additional executive producers include Anna Culp and Francie Calfo, with Imagine Television Studios and 20th Television producing.
According to the official synopsis, Genius: MLK/X will focus on the two civil rights leaders’ differing paths towards helping Black Americans fight for freedom.
The fourth season will explore the formative years, pioneering accomplishments, duelling philosophies and key personal relationships of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. 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 and Betty Shabazz, 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.