Oprah Winfrey will take on a role in the upcoming Martin Luther King biopic Selma, it has been confirmed.
The Oscar-nominated actress and talk show host had previously signed on to produce the project, but will now also star as Annie Lee Cooper, the civil rights legend who tried to register to vote but was refused.
Winfrey's co-star inThe Butler, David Oyelowo, will play Dr King, while Cuba Gooding Jr will take on the role of King's attorney and fellow activist Fred Gray.
Tim Roth will also star as Alabama governor George Wallace.
The project, which will be directed by Ava DuVernay, tells the story of a group of black marchers who attempt to walk from Selma, Alabama to nearby Montgomery in order to gain the right to vote in 1965.
