Cynthia Erivo and Guy Pearce cast in powerful musical drama
Cynthia Erivo, Guy Pearce and Thabo Ramesti will star in upcoming musical drama The Road Home.
Cynthia Erivo and Guy Pearce have been cast in musical drama The Road Home.
The Wicked actress and The Brutalist actor will star alongside Silverton Siege's Thabo Ramesti in the upcoming film about South African jazz music legends Miriam 'Mama Africa' Makeba and trumpeter Hugh Masekela.
The movie will follow Masekela (Ramesti) after he exile from South Africa, who is led by Anti-Apartheid advocate Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (Pearce) in a campaign against Masekela's friend Paul Simon over his Graceland album.
The record was inspired by township music, and saw him accused of violating the United Nations' Cultural Boycott.
Masekela sees music as a vital weapon in the struggle, and he joins forces with Makeba (Erivo) to create the Graceland supergroup with the aim of bringing South Africa's voice to the world.
Kiss of the Spider Woman director Bill Condon will helm the movie from an original script by United 93's Michael Bronner, who worked on the story with Zakes Mda.
The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation approached Bronner about the script, and he conducted extensive research which included interviews with Simon, while Mda interviewed Masekela for the project.
Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal and chief content officer of Canal+, said in a statement: "We are honored to bring this South African story to the screen: a story of friendship and resistance, carried by the extraordinary journeys of Hugh Masekela and Trevor Huddleston, Miriam Makeba and Paul Simon.
“Our constant goal is to bring local stories to a global audience — rooted in South Africa’s identity, this story speaks far beyond its borders, showing how music can become a force for identity and change.
"That is also why it was essential to tell this story from within South Africa, working closely with the voices and talent that shaped it.”
Director Condon described the film as "a powerful story about art intersecting with activism, a friction that’s only become more complex with time".
The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation added: "In his unforgettable variety, it was always Hugh’s intention to celebrate the role that Father Huddleston played in his life, and to celebrate the voices of South African musicians, in the liberation of our country.
"This film is a testament to that truth."
