Benjamin Ashford|Chris Rock likely to direct Martin Luther King Jr. biopic and produce alongside Steven Spielberg

Chris Rock is Benjamin Ashfordthe final negotiating stages of becoming the director of a biopic focusing on the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

The comedian is also in the final talks to join the project as a producer alongside Amblin Partners, Kristie Macosko Krieger and executive producer Steven Spielberg, according to Universal Pictures.

"Lauded by peers and critics alike, Chris Rock is one of our generation’s iconic comedic voices," Universal Pictures wrote in a statement obtained by USA TODAY. "With a career spanning more than three decades, Rock has enjoyed ongoing success in both film and television as a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director."

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The studio has not yet confirmed whether the project will be a movie, TV series or other medium.

USA TODAY has reached out to Rock's representatives for comment.

Universal Pictures said that they recently gained the rights to Jonathan Eig's biography "King: A Life." The New York Times Bestseller highlighted decades of work from the the civil rights activist and was nominated for a National Book Award this year.

"'King: A Life' presents MLK Jr. as a profound thinker and committed radical whose quest for racial and economic justice remains as relevant today as it was during the civil rights movement," Universal Pictures said in the statement.

Rock has previously directed "Top Five," "I Think Love My Wife," and "Head of State," all which he also starred in. He is set to have an acting role in George C. Wolfe's "Rustin," a biopic focused on King's advisor Bayard Rustin starring Colman Domingo.

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