--- description: The acclaimed filmmaker of 12 Years a Slave also announced a film version of the UK TV series "Widows" title: Steve McQueen to Make Paul Robeson Biopic image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1440d32f0fdae49/69876a35a988cab0f66aae45/ap488067795209.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [film](/tag/film/) ## film Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Steve McQueen to Make Paul Robeson Biopic  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 21, 2014 2:22 PM CUT  Oscar winner Steve McQueen, who is planning a film about the life of American singer and actor Paul Robeson. Issue date: Wednesday November 19, 2014. Oscar winner Steve McQueen, who is planning a film about the life of American singer and actor Paul Robeson. Issue date: Wednesday November 19, 2014.Ian West—PA Wire/Press Association Images  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 21, 2014 2:22 PM CUT Director Steve McQueen has announced he is [working](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/18/steve-mcqueen-to-make-film-about-paul-robeson "undefined") on a biopic about American actor and civil rights activist Paul Robeson. “His life and legacy was the film I wanted to make the second after _Hunger_” McQueen said on stage at the Hidden Heroes awards in New York. _Hunger_ was his debut film about an IRA hunger striker. “But I didn’t have the power, I didn’t have the juice,” he said. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson led an extraordinary life as a lawyer, actor, singer and activist who supported causes such as the Republican in the Spanish Civil War and unemployed Welsh miners. Harry Belafonte is involved in production of the movie, the _Guardian_ reports. Though the Robeson picture is in the works, McQueen [revealed](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steve-mcqueen-make-film-based-750429 "undefined") that his next film after the breakout success of his _12 Years a Slave_ will be a full-length adaptation of the British television series “Widows,” according to the _Hollywood Reporter_. [Read more at the _Guardian_](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/18/steve-mcqueen-to-make-film-about-paul-robeson "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3599361/steve-mcqueen-to-make-paul-robeson-biopic/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3599361/steve-mcqueen-to-make-paul-robeson-biopic/"},"headline":"Steve McQueen to Make Paul Robeson Biopic","datePublished":"2014-11-21T14:22:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T11:37:12.478Z","description":"The acclaimed filmmaker of 12 Years a Slave also announced a film version of the UK TV series \"Widows\"","url":"https://time.com/3599361/steve-mcqueen-to-make-paul-robeson-biopic/","keywords":["film","12 Years a Slave","movies","Hollywood","Steve McQueen"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1440d32f0fdae49/69876a35a988cab0f66aae45/ap488067795209.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Denver Nicks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1440d32f0fdae49/69876a35a988cab0f66aae45/ap488067795209.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Paul Robeson planned","caption":"Paul Robeson planned","creditText":"Ian West—PA Wire/Press Association Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/film/","name":"film"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3599361/steve-mcqueen-to-make-paul-robeson-biopic/","name":"Steve McQueen to Make Paul Robeson Biopic"}}]}] ```