Weinstein Co. Picks Up Idris Elba’s Mandela Pic Long Walk To FreedomPosted by Wilson Morales
February 22, 2013
Stocking up for awards season 2014, The Weinstein Co. has acquired North American rights to Justin Chadwick‘s biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, based on Nelson Mandela‘s autobiography of the same name.
The movie, now in post-production, stars Idris Elba as the famed South African civil rights leader and Naomie Harris (Skyfall) as Mandela’s wife, Winnie.
TWC also snapped up rights to the film in Australia and New Zealand. Harvey and Bob Weinstein‘s company announced the deal in tandem with Anant Singh, the film’s producer.
“I am extremely passionate about ‘Long Walk to Freedom,’ ” said TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein. “Anant Singh first gave the book to me when the first edition came out. We have been talking about making this film since 1999. There have been a number of stop and goes, but sometimes things work out for a reason, and Anant Singh has done a masterful job in producing this epic story of our times.”
Producer Anant Singh has tried to get the film off the ground for more than two decades, communicating with Mandela from prison and acquiring his biography in 1996. William Nicholson (Les Miserables) wrote the adapted screenplay, which covers Mandela’s life from childhood in a rural village to becoming the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
Mandela, shot in South Africa, started principal photography at the end of May 2012 in KwaZulu-Natal and went on to shoot for 16 weeks in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Mandela’s home province, the Eastern Cape.
The film also features South African stars Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Zolani Mkiva, Jamie Bartlett, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Deon Lotz and Terry Pheto.
The deal was negotiated in London by David Glasser and Michal Steinberg for TWC and Singh and Alan Grodin of Weintraub Tobin for Distant Horizon. Pathe has acquired the U.K. and French rights and is handling international sales.
No release date has been set, but the film is in post-production, making a 2013 release likely. It would join TWC fall kudos-season hopefuls “The Butler,” starring Forest Whitaker, and “August: Osage County,” starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.
