Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood to Executive Produce "Genius: MLK/X" for Disney+

Disney+ and National Geographic announced today that Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood will serve as executive producers under their production company Undisputed Cinema on the Disney+ Original limited series Genius: MLK/X.

Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood

What’s Happening:

In a first for the franchise, the new season will focus on two iconic geniuses: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
With three seasons of the critically acclaimed series garnering 20 Emmy nominations and premiering on National Geographic, Genius will move to Disney+ for the fourth installment and subsequent seasons.

Raphael Jackson, Jr. and Damione Macedon

Also joining Genius: MLK/X as showrunners and executive producers are Raphael Jackson, Jr. and Damione Macedon (The Mosquito Coast), and Jeff Stetson is penning the pilot. Francie Calfo (Empire) and Anna Culp (Under the Banner of Heaven) return as executive producers.
Brian Grazer and Ron Howard return as executive producers.
In addition to Calfo and Culp, Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane (MWM Studios) and Sam Sokolow (EUE/Sokolow) will also return as executive producers.
The series is produced by Imagine Television Studios and 20th Television.

What They’re Saying:

The Bythewoods said: “Malcolm and Martin are staggering icons, and we have been eager to explore the genius of these two very real men in a way that has not yet been seen. We are excited to team up with Imagine Entertainment and 20th Television to reflect their amazing lives and contributions to civil rights and the urgency of today.”

About Genius: MLK/X

The fourth season will explore the formative years, pioneering accomplishments, dueling philosophies and key personal relationships of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. While King advanced racial equality through nonviolent protest, Malcolm X argued forcefully for Black empowerment, identity and self-determination. With their formidable wives, Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz, by their sides, King and Malcolm X became synonymous with the civil rights era and the fight for racial and economic justice. While they met only once and often challenged each other’s views, neither would have been as successful without the other.
Genius dramatizes the fascinating stories of the world’s most brilliant innovators, exploring their extraordinary achievements along with their volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships.
In 2017, National Geographic premiered the first season of Genius, which starred Geoffrey Rush as the brilliant scientist Albert Einstein.
Genius: Einstein earned 10 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series, as well as Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for Rush.
The follow-up season, Genius: Picasso, starred Antonio Banderas as the titular Spanish painter and matched much of the success of its predecessor, earning seven Emmy nominations — and two wins — as well as Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for Banderas.
The third installment, Genius: Aretha, starred Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin and premiered as the most-watched telecast for National Geographic in two years. Erivo received Emmy, Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominations for her critically acclaimed role as the Queen of Soul.