The Huge Challenge of Bringing Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to TV

When National Geographic first approached Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood about producing the fourth season of the Genius anthology docu-drama series, only one civil rights leader was put forward. Previously, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, and Aretha Franklin have been the focus of respective installments, but the couple knew if they were going to proceed with this project, this one would need to be a double-header. Enter, MLK/X.

“While we absolutely revere Dr. King and want to tell his story, we said to them, ‘You don't get Dr. King without Malcolm X,” Prince-Bythewood tells The Daily Beast’s Obsessed. “They were certainly two sides of the same coin. They inspired, fueled each other, and were both absolutely integral to the Movement.”

In fact, this season of Genius also centers on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X’s (Aaron Pierre) spouses, exploring the icons’ partnerships with Coretta Scott King (Weruche Opia) and Betty Shabazz (Jayme Lawson). “All respect to NatGeo; they embraced us disrupting the Genius franchise and telling the story of, really, two men, but four icons,” says Prince-Bythewood.

Read more at The Daily Beast.