A movie about how the 1995 Rugby World Cup helped heal post-apartheid race relations in South Africa is fast becoming a major film event. Morgan Freeman had already signed on to play Nelson Mandela in “The Human Factor,” an adaptation of the John Carlin book “The Human Factor: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed the World.”
Now, Warner Bros. is in talks to finance the picture, with Clint Eastwood eyeing it as a directing vehicle, and Matt Damon in preliminary talks to play the captain of the Springboks.
Freeman and Revelations partner Lori McCreary are producing with Mace Neufeld, and South African scribe Anthony Peckham wrote the script.
Freeman went to South Africa with McCreary last spring to get Mandela’s blessing on the project.
The story is set right after the fall of apartheid, and after Mandela was released from a long imprisonment and became South African president.
Mandela recognized the significance when South Africa was selected host of the 1995 Rugby World Cup after the team had been barred from even competing since the 1980s because of apartheid.
The Springboks’ surprising triumph at the event – and subsequent celebrations with Nelson Mandela – became symbolic of the healing of the wounds caused by apartheid.
looks good