Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”) is set to play Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in the biopic “Winnie” for Equinoxe Films says Variety.
Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob’s biography was used for the story which covers both the good and bad about the former wife of South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela.
Unlike her ex-husband who has essentially become universally deified, Winnie is a more complex figure. A controversial activist who was a key component in the anti-apartheid struggle, she later fell out of favor due to her hardline approach and later was convicted of charges in relation to the torture and murder of a 14-year old police informer by one of her bodyguards.
Darrell J. Roodt (“Cry The Beloved Country,” “Sarafina”) directs from a script he co-wrote with Andre Pieterse and Paul L. Johnson. Hudson is expected to sing the film’s theme song.
Shooting begins May 30th throughout South Africa including Johannesburg, Capetown, Transkei and Robben Island.
