House of Cards’ Mahershala Ali, Keri Russell Added To The Free State of JonesPosted by Wilson Morales
February 12, 2015
TheWrap is reporting that both Mahershala Ali and Keri Russell have been added to the cast of Gary Ross’s Civil War drama “The Free State of Jones,” joining Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Based on a true story, McConaughey will play Newton Knight, a soldier who flees the battlefields after being disillusioned by the horrors that touched his own family. On the run, he rallies the support of fellow deserters to lead an uprising against their former comrades, in the process creating a free safe haven.
Mbatha-Raw will play a slave named Rachel who has a relationship with McConaughey’s Newton Knight. The Wrap is reporting that Russell will play Serena Knight, the wife of McConaughey’s character. Ali, meanwhile, will play an escaped slave named Moses Washington. Washington becomes an ally of Knight and plays a key role in Knight’s secession plans.
The movie is being produced by Ross with Scott Stuber and John Kilik for STX Entertainment, co-financing the $65 million movie with IM Global and splitting distribution.
