According to sources via In Contention, Clint Eastwood’s upcoming South African epic about Nelson Mandela starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon is said to be titled “Invictus.”
Other than meaning invincible in Latin, “Invictus” is also a poem by English poet H.W. Henley that inspired humanitarian Mandela through his toughest times in jail. Interestingly, the poem also served as inspiration for John McCain and Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh of all people (good times).
“Invictus,” if that’s what if ends up being titled (sounds a little “artsy fartsy” for Eastwood’s generally mainstream crowd), will tell the story of the unlikely friendship between South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) and Mandela as they united a whole nation by guiding the national rugby team through its underdog run in the Rugby World Cup of 1995, a year after the end of an apartheid era that spanned nearly fifty years.
The film was scribed by Anthony Peckham and is based on John Carlin’s novel “Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation.” A release in December is being eyed for an inevitable Oscar run.
