Precious' Lee Daniels and Slumdog's Christian Colson Go to Selma

Lee Daniels’ new movie, Precious, has garnered riotous praise and deafening Oscar buzz. Now, it’s time for Daniels to try his hand at another buzz-worthy, socially conscious project.

Who better to do it with than fellow Oscar royalty, producer Christian Colson, who helped bring the triumphant Slumdog Millionaire to the big screen last year? Together, they are in advanced talks to make the cinematic (and literal) journey down to Selma, Ala. to make a film about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Variety reports that the script is an original story about MLK and President Lyndon Johnson. (Selma is the site of three seminal Civil Rights marches that took place between Selma and Montgomery, Ala. in 1965.)

Although Variety had reported that the script was the property of the U.K.’s Celador Films, with which Colson has made a number of upcoming films, Selma will actually be the inaugural project of his brand-new company, Cloud Nine. Colson formed Cloud Nine last March, immediately after his phenomenal Oscar success with Slumdog.

Paul Webb (Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln) has penned the script, and filming is set to begin in the spring. The budget is still being negotiated and no casting has yet been done.

Colson will also reunite with his Slumdog director Danny Boyle on the upcoming 127 Hours about the daring survival of mountaineer Aron Ralston, to begin shooting early next year.

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