Back da f*** up Clint Eastwood and get ready for more Mandela (you know you want more).
Of course, we all know about Eastwood’s forthcoming “Invictus” which portrays the courageous anti-apartheid leader against the backdrop of the Rugby World Cup (starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon). Well, if just one film won’t fit the bill, fast forward twelve months and you can see “Winnie,” a biopic about the former wife of South Africa’s first black president.
The producers of the South African/Canadian production promise that the film won’t gloss over the more controversial aspects of Winnie Mandela’s complex life, which include infidelity, allegations of human rights abuses, and conviction for fraud (unfortunately for Hudson fans, no claims of melisma or stage work)
However for many of her supporters, she is considered “The Mother Of The Nation” and it musn’t be forgotten the vital role she played in opposing apartheid. In a very dicey casting choice, Jennifer Hudson has been brought on board to portray Winnie and production is set to begin on May 30th in South Africa.
She can sing, but can she act beyond something like “Dreamgirls” which she seem perfectly suited for (and not something that really seemed to stretch her natural abilities)? The jury is definitely out there, but hey, she won an Oscar, so what do we know…