Nat Geo is shifting its approach to Emmy-nominated anthology series Genius by featuring two icons, civil-rights leaders the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, in its fourth season.
The eight-part series, launching February 1, is an intimate look at both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King’s complex lives as husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons as it showcases their humanity and leadership qualities, Nat Geo said.
Genius MLK/X stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. as King, Aaron Pierre as Malcolm X, Weruche Opia as Coretta Scott King and Jayme Lawson as Betty Shabazz.
Series executive producer Gina Prince-Bythewood said the series captures the spirit and essence of Malcolm X and King, along with their wives. “We knew the narrative we wanted to tell to put these two men and two women together to show their parallel stories – not just in the iconic moments and the historical things they’ve done, but in their personal lives as well,” Bythewood told Multichannel News.
While the first three Genius series, showcasing Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Aretha Franklin, only featured a single icon, the dual narratives of Genius MLK/X won’t hurt the show’s ability to adequately profile both legendary leaders, according to executive producer Reggie Rock-Bythewood.
“As great a series as [Genius] has been, we never came in with a mandate to do what was done before,” he said. “We came in with our own personal mandate to disrupt the genre, and we’re so happy that we’re the first season of the show that looks at two different Geniuses.”
Along with the Bythewoods, the series is executive produced by Raphael Jackson, Damione Macedon, Channing Godfrey Peoples, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Francie Calfo, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Sam Sokolow and Jeff Stetson.
Click below to listen to an interview with the Bythewoods on the latest episode of the “Content Spotlight” podcast.
