A new documentary project is taking shape that will revisit one of the most consequential chapters in American history through a fresh and deeply personal lens. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay and media mogul Byron Allen are teaming up to develop a documentary focused on Coretta Scott King’s decades-long fight to uncover the truth behind the assassination of her husband, civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The project, titled King vs. The United States of America, is being developed under Allen’s Allen Media Group Motion Pictures banner and will chronicle Mrs. King’s relentless pursuit of answers about her husband’s death and the official narrative that followed.
Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The killing was officially attributed to James Earl Ray, a known segregationist who initially confessed before later recanting. For decades, however, members of the King family, led by Coretta Scott King, refused to accept that explanation as complete or conclusive.
King vs. The United States of America shifts focus away from the assassination itself and instead explores the enduring quest for truth that followed.
Mrs. King spent years challenging the official account, advocating for further examination and legal scrutiny. That persistence culminated in a 1999 civil trial, in which a jury found that Dr. King’s assassination involved a broader conspiracy, involving government agencies and others, rather than a lone gunman acting alone.
Beyond the investigation, the film will highlight Coretta Scott King’s evolution into a formidable leader in her own right. After Dr. King’s death, she founded the King Center, became an outspoken advocate for civil and human rights, championed feminist causes and LGBTQ equality, and stood against apartheid in South Africa.
Her determination to challenge official narratives and continue the work of the civil rights movement made her a defining figure in late-20th-century American history.
Stay tuned for more details on King vs. The United States of America.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
