Liam Neeson and Cedric the Entertainer Join Cast of Lee Daniels’ SELMA

Still riding high on his multiple Academy Award nominations, breakout director Lee Daniels (Precious) has been busy putting together the cast for his next picture, Selma.  The movie will focus on the pivotal Civil Rights march which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.

Over the past few weeks Daniels has confirmed that Hugh Jackman and Lenny Kravitz  will play key roles in Selma.  And today MTV is reporting that Liam Neeson and Cedric the Entertainer have also joined the cast.  Neeson will be playing President Lyndon Johnson, and Cedric will portray Ralph Abernathy, who helped King to organize the march.

The role of Dr. King will be played by David Oyelowo (The Last King of Scottland).  The role of Alabama Governor George Wallace has not yet been cast, but is expected to be filled soon.  It was presumed that Robert De Niro would play the role, but MTV says his collaboration with Daniels will likely not be with this project.