David Oyelowo Channels Martin Luther King Jr. in First ‘Selma’ Trailer (Video)

The Ava DuVernay film also features a supporting turn from Oprah Winfrey

David Oyelowo travels back to the 1960s and steps into the shoes of Martin Luther King Jr. in the first trailer for “Selma,” Ava DuVernay’s take on the Civil Rights leader.

The Paramount film is narrowly focused on the fight for equal voting rights that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. As glimpsed in the trailer, “Selma” also features a supporting turn from Oprah Winfrey, who is a producer on the film, and a seemingly sizable role for Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon Johnson, who signed both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Common, Wendell Pierce, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Tim Roth are also part of the cast, along with Carmen Ejogo, who plays King’s future wife Coretta Scott.

Brad Pitt‘s Plan B, which produced “Twelve Years a Slave,” and Christian Colson, who produced “Slumdog Millionaire,” are also behind the film.

“Selma” will be released on Christmas Day, and its wide release was set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which was passed August 6, 1965.

Watch the first trailer above.

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