Clarence B. Jones told his story on camera before his death in May at 95. The Sundance-winning short brings it to life through more than 3,000 hand-painted watercolors.
By EEW Magazine Online Editors
Clarence B. Jones, clockwise from left: in a close-up portrait; holding a photograph of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at his California home in 2023; with King in an undated photo; and testifying in Washington in 1971. Jones died in May at 95.
Netflix has released the official trailer for “The Baddest Speechwriter of All,” a documentary about Clarence B. Jones, the late attorney and speechwriter who helped the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. craft his historic “I Have a Dream” address. The 29-minute film, co-directed by NBA superstar Stephen Curry and two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot, premieres Dec. 8.
The trailer, released Thursday, introduces audiences to one of King’s closest advisers, whose behind-the-scenes contributions helped shape the civil rights movement. Told through Jones’ firsthand recollections, the documentary explores the personal sacrifices and unexpected turns that placed him at the center of American history.
Jones, who died May 22 at age 95, served as King’s attorney, strategist and speechwriter from 1960 until the civil rights leader’s assassination in 1968. He is credited with drafting the opening seven paragraphs of King’s Aug. 28, 1963, address at the March on Washington.
Clarence B. Jones, the subject of “The Baddest Speechwriter of All.” Inset: Jones with the film’s co-directors, Stephen Curry, left, and Ben Proudfoot. (Courtesy Stephen Curry; Illustration by EEW Magazine Online)
Jones studied clarinet at Juilliard as a teenager and went on to build a successful career in entertainment law. He initially resisted joining King’s legal team. He eventually became one of the minister’s most trusted confidants, helping defend him in court, raising funds for the movement and smuggling King’s handwritten “Letter from Birmingham Jail” out of his cell.
Late in life, while accepting a local proclamation in his honor, Jones called himself “the providential, gratuitous beneficiary” of his relationship with King.
The film traces Jones’ unlikely journey from the music world to the front lines of the civil rights struggle. It combines interviews and archival material with more than 3,000 hand-painted watercolor images by Brazilian artist Daniel Bruson.
For Curry, the project marks his directorial debut. The four-time NBA champion met Jones in 2022, when Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr invited Jones to speak to the team, and later brought the idea for a film to Proudfoot. The two previously collaborated on the Academy Award-winning documentary short “The Queen of Basketball,” about pioneering women’s basketball player Lusia Harris.
“The Baddest Speechwriter of All” premiered at Sundance in January, winning the Short Film Grand Jury Prize. On Nov. 8, it won best short documentary at the 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards in New York.
The streaming premiere arrives more than six months after Jones’ death. In 2024, then-President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, for his contributions to civil rights.
Produced by Proudfoot’s Breakwater Studios and Curry’s Unanimous Media with Madison Wells Productions, the film offers a rare firsthand account of King’s inner circle and the making of one of the most influential speeches in American history.
“The Baddest Speechwriter of All” premieres Dec. 8 on Netflix. Watch the trailer below.
The Baddest Speechwriter of All
Video: Netflix
