South African actor Thabo Rametsi has been unveiled as anti-apartheid music legend Hugh Masekela in Bill Condon's new film The Road Home, with a first-look image showing Rametsi in character playing trumpet.
According to Deadline, the image was released by the film's backers and producers Canal+, Studiocanal, Flora Film, and South African co-producer Blue Ice. Filming is currently underway in South Africa.
Masekela lived in exile in the United Kingdom and the United States for 30 years after fleeing South Africa following the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre. The Road Home follows him at a crossroads moment: when the Anti-Apartheid Movement, led by Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, launches a cultural boycott against his friend Paul Simon over Simon's township music-inspired album Graceland.
Masekela, who viewed music as a weapon in the anti-apartheid struggle, ultimately splits with Huddleston. He joins forces with fellow exile and lifelong collaborator Miriam Makeba, known as Mama Africa, to form the Graceland band, a supergroup meant to bring South Africa's voice to the world.
The cast includes Guy Pearce as Huddleston, Johnny Flynn as Paul Simon, and Cynthia Erivo as Makeba. Rametsi, who is also an executive producer on the film, spoke about the weight of the project. "When you tell the story of Giants you must shout it from the highest mountain," he said. "These are our giants and this film is the highest mountain we could find. We hope our humble tribute honours them accordingly."
Bill Condon, whose previous credits include Gods and Monsters, directs from a script written by Michael Bronner, who also wrote The Mauritanian and United 93. The story is by Bronner and Zakes Mda.
The film is produced by Laura Bickford, whose credits include Traffic and Che, alongside Bronner, Greg Yolen, and Anant Singh. No release date has been announced.
