{"id":63675,"date":"2012-07-30T11:40:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-30T11:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2012\/07\/30\/true-blood-nelsan-ellis-mlk-lee-daniels-the-butler\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T10:45:00","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T10:45:00","slug":"true-blood-nelsan-ellis-mlk-lee-daniels-the-butler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/true-blood-nelsan-ellis-mlk-lee-daniels-the-butler\/","title":{"rendered":"True Blood’s Nelsan Ellis to play MLK in Lee Daniels film, The Butler"},"content":{"rendered":"

True Blood’s Nelsan Ellis to play MLK in Lee Daniels film, The Butler<\/a><\/strong>Posted by Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

July 30, 2012<\/p>\n

Source: Deadline<\/a><\/p>\n

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True Blood’s Nelsan Ellis <\/strong>is the latest actor to join Lee Daniels’<\/strong> film, The Butler<\/a><\/strong>. He will be playing the role of Martin Luther King Jr.<\/p>\n

Based on a screenplay penned by Daniels and Danny Strong,<\/strong> the film is inspired by the true story of an African-American man who served as a butler in the White House for over thirty years. From this unique vantage point, THE BUTLER<\/strong> traces the dramatic changes that swept American society, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man\u2019s life and family.<\/p>\n

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Forest Whitaker<\/strong> will play the lead, Cecil Gaines, with Oprah Winfrey<\/strong> playing his wife, Gloria, and David Oyelowo<\/strong> as his son Louis. The cast also includes John Cusack<\/strong> as President Richard M. Nixon, Alan Rickman<\/strong> as President Ronald Reagan, and Jane Fonda<\/strong> as First Lady Nancy Reagan, as well as Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lenny Kravitz<\/strong>, and Terrence Howard<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Other additions to this all-star cast, including Robin Williams<\/strong> as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Melissa Leo<\/strong> as First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, James Marsden<\/strong> as President John F. Kennedy, Minka Kelly as First Lady Jackie Kennedy, and Liev Schreiber<\/strong> as President Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as Mariah Carey, Vanessa Redgrave, Alex Pettyfer, Yaya DaCosta, Pernell Whitaker, Colman Domingo, Elijah Kelley<\/strong>, and Jesse Williams<\/strong>. Music for the film will be composed by the legendary Quincy Jones<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Known for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series True Blood, Ellis last appeared as Henry the Waiter in the 2011 Oscar-nominated film, The Help<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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