Terrence Howard, who’s been a little quiet for the last few years, aside from “Fighting” and a role in George Lucas’ upcoming “Red Tails,” will take on the iconic role in “Winnie,” a biopic of Mandela’s former wife.

Continue reading Terrence Howard To Play Nelson Mandela Opposite Jennifer Hudson In ‘Winnie’ at The Playlist.

While manipulative and high on a sports feelgood sentiment, Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus” is still an occasionally genuinely rousing piece of work despite some severely distracting flaws. But it’s also, in the end, rather unremarkable and unmemorable with low, long-tail resonance.

Neither a biopic of Nelson Mandela nor a rugby film — which is evident in the Anthony Peckham script — instead, the picture is a portrait of what it takes to inspire and unite the human spirit after years of deep-seated bitterness via apartheid.

Continue reading Clint Eastwood ‘Invictus’ Mildly Rousing, But At The End Of The Day Forgettable at The Playlist.

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.

Continue reading Jennifer Hudson To Star As Nelson Mandela’s Wife In ‘Winnie’ Biopic at The Playlist.

Anthony Peckham’s script for “Invictus” (formerly titled, “The Human Factor”) holds within it all of the textbook ingredients of the cinderella sports-triumphs-over-social-ills movie.

Continue reading Script Review: Anthony Peckham’s ‘Invictus’ at The Playlist.

Along with Matt Damon – who plays rugby captain Francois Pienaar – Freeman was photographed in patriotic apparel possibly shooting a scene from their 1995 World Cup triumph as seen in the central image which features their real life counterparts.

Further, Freeman recently spoke with Style (via In Contention) about his portrayal of the iconic humanitarian.

Continue reading First Look: Morgan Freeman As Nelson Mandela In Clint Eastwood’s ‘Invictus’ at The Playlist.

The film which — also stars Matt Damon as the South African rugby captain who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Mandela (Morgan Freeman); the duo uniting a nation through an underdog Rugby World Cup run a year after apartheid ended — will go head to head with Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones,” and presumably both films will roll out in slow, Oscar-building limited release campaign much like Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” last year.

Continue reading Clint Eastwood’s ‘Invictus’ Due December 11; Set To Face Off Against Jackson’s ‘Lovely Bones’ at The Playlist.

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).

Continue reading Clint Eastwood’s Nelson Mandela Drama Now Titled ‘Invictus’ at The Playlist.

The film will tell the story of the unlikely friendship between Pienaar and politician Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) and how, together, 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.

Continue reading First Look: Matt Damon In Clint Eastwood’s ‘The Human Factor’/Still Untitled at The Playlist.

Based on the book, “Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation” by John Carlin, the screenplay is by Anthony Peckham (“Sherlock Holmes”) and yes, Eastwood is once again directing.

Continue reading Clint Eastwood Is On A Roll, Mandela Project Already Scheduled For December 2009 at The Playlist.