In celebration of hospitalized Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday (July 18), The Weinstein Company has released the first trailer for the long awaited biopic A Long Walk To Freedom.
William Nicholson’s (Gladiator, Les Miserables) screenplay is an adaptation of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography by the same name. It chronicles Mandela’s life journey, from growing up in a rural village to becoming an anti-apartheid revolutionary who spent 27 years in prison. After his release he went on to become the first democratically elected President of South Africa.
A Long Walk To Freedom is directed by Justin Chadwick, best known for the BBC TV series Bleak House and the feature film The Other Boleyn Girl. It features Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, TV’s The Wire) as Nelson Mandela.
Naomie Harris (Skyfall), is Nelson’s wife, Winnie Mandela, and Robert Hobbs (District 9, Safe House) also stars. The film premieres in the U.S. November 29, with buzz already building for a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Elba.