Showtime is developing a Muhammad Ali series ‘The Ali Summit’

Showtime is developing a limited series about the civil rights movement called The Ali Summit.

The project looks at a seminal moment in the civil-rights movement – the gathering of 12 of the nation’s top black intellectuals and athletes to first vet and then ultimately support Muhammad Ali’s conscientious objection to the Vietnam War draft, 50 years ago in 1967.

The drama explores the intersection of civil rights and sports, and tracks the FBI’s crusade against Ali, Jim Brown and other black leaders in the lead-up to Ali’s arrest for draft evasion at the peak of his boxing career in 1967. He was later convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison, fined $10,000 and banned from boxing for three years. His conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971.

Others in attendance at the summit included NFL player Willie Davis, NBA coach Bill Russell and NBA great (and THR contributing editor) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Jeff and Michael Zimbalist (The Two Escobars) will write and direct The Ali Summit. The duo will also exec produce with Brown, his wife Monique Brown, Jeff Kirschenbaum (xXx: Return of Xander Cage) and Joe Roth (Legion).