Weruche Opia and Jayme Lawson Delve into Iconic Roles as Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz in National Geographic’s GENIUS: MLK/X

The upcoming installment of the Emmy Award-winning anthology series GENIUS will delve into the lives of two iconic personalities in American history: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

The eight-part docu-drama, which premieres on February 1st, promises to provide a one-of-a-kind simultaneous investigation of their formative years, achievements, ideologies, and personal connections.

While Kelvin Harrison Jr. represents Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Aaron Pierre portrays Malcolm X, offering light on their opposing approaches to pursuing racial equality. The series delves deeper into these characters’ pioneering work, highlighting their wives, Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz, played by Weruche Opia and Jayme Lawson, as key members of the movement.

In an exclusive interview, Opia and Lawson discussed their roles, highlighting surprise revelations about Coretta and Betty made during their study. They also addressed prevalent misconceptions regarding black women’s roles in the Civil Rights Movement and paid tribute to inspirational leaders from that time.

Imagine Television and Undisputed Cinema conceived the series, which has a formidable executive producer roster, including Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Kristen Zolner. Raphael Jackson Jr. and Damione Macedon, showrunners and executive producers, work with a Madison Wells team to bring this compelling story to life.

The first two episodes of GENIUS: MLK/X will air weekly on National Geographic at 9/8c, with subsequent streaming on Disney+ and Hulu the next day. Furthermore, the premiere episode, dubbed “Graduation,” will air on ABC on February 1st at 9/8c.