Oprah Winfrey set to produce Martin Luther King film.

Project: Oprah Winfrey (Picture: Bang Showbiz)

Oprah Winfrey is preparing to produce a new drama about Martin Luther King's 1965 voting rights campaign. According to London Evening Standard, the 59-year-old actress and chat show host has confirmed her involvement in Selma, which follows 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.

David Oyelowo, Orprah Winfrey

The film will star David Oyelowo - who played Winfrey's son in Lee Daniels' The Butler - in the lead role.

Winfrey will produce with Brad Pitt, through his Plan B Productions company and the organisation's executives, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner.

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Plan B was most recently responsible for production on Oscar frontrunner 12 Years a Slave.

Pathe, which produced Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, will also have a hand in the film.

Director Ava DuVernay told The Hollywood Reporter: "It's a subject matter close to her heart. The producers are behind some of the most forward-thinking movies of last year, and they are all coming together."

Winfrey made her return to acting last year after a 15-year absence.

Speaking at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last weekend, she revealed she hopes to work with director Daniels on future films.