10 More Insane Rules Movies Weren't Allowed To Break
9. Not Using MLK's Real Speeches - Selma
It goes without saying that any biopic of Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo) would want to re-enact the legendary activist's most iconic speeches, and yet, Ava DuVernay's 2014 film Selma was faced with quite the unexpected restriction.
In 2009, King's estate licensed his speeches to DreamWorks and Warner Bros. for an unspecified project to be produced by Steven Spielberg.
Even though said project never came to fruition, the Selma producers were unable to reach an agreement with DreamWorks and Warner Bros., and so DuVernay was forced to rewrite King's speeches for the film.
DuVernay ultimately spent hours listening to King's speeches to identify patterns in his rhetoric which could serve as the building blocks for new speeches inspired by the spirit of his real ones.
And while it seems slightly maddening that speeches made in public with major historical merit can be held hostage in such a way, DuVernay nevertheless did a stellar job of conveying the tone and power of King's words in an adjacent fashion.