As reported by Deadline on Thursday, Eric Bana has officially joined the cast of the upcoming drama The Forgiven, which just started filming in South Africa. Bana is set to star as murderer Piet Blomfield who seeks redemption for his violent crimes.
The Forgiven was adapted from a play called ‘The Archbishop and the Anti-Christ’ written by human rights advocate Michael Ashton. Ashton, who was imprisoned in 2008 for fraud, wrote the play in prison while taking a playwriting course. The story centers around archbishop Desmond Tutu and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which in 1994, after the abolition of apartheid, allowed perpetrators of violence to give testimony and request amnesty from both civil and criminal prosecution.
The film will star Forest Whitaker as Desmond Tutu, the renowned South African social rights activist.
Director Roland Joffe, most known for The Killing Fields and The Mission, for both of which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, is not one to shy from topics of human rights and religion. Given the star power and the subject matter, the film could be a major contender for the awards circuit next year.
Vince Vaughn was previously reported to be starring in the film, and it is unclear whether Eric Bana is replacing him, or if Vaughn is still featured in the film, but simply has role that has been unannounced. Bana will next be seen in the Guy Ritchie-directed King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
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