Cynthia Erivo (Wicked, Harriet), Thabo Rametsi (The Siege of Silverton) and Guy Pearce (The Brutalist, Inc.) are set to star in The Road Home, a music drama about South African jazz legend Miriam ‘Mama Africa’ Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Paul Simon’s tour of Graceland during the apartheid era.
Award-winning South African star Rametsi plays Masekela, a celebrated trumpet player who is exiled from his native South Africa and is caught between two worlds. In the late 1980s, the anti-apartheid movement, led by Hugh’s mentor and ardent anti-apartheid advocate Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (Oscar nominee Pierce), launched a boycott of Hugh’s friend Paul Simon’s township music-inspired album Graceland, accusing Simon of violating the United Nations cultural boycott. Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner, as well as an Academy Award nominee, Erivo plays Makeba, a powerhouse vocalist who joins forces with Masekela, who sees music as a powerful weapon of struggle, to form the Graceland Band, a supergroup dedicated to bringing South Africa’s voice to the world.
Academy Award winner Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls, Kiss of Spider-Man) will direct The Road Home from an original screenplay by Michael Bronner (The Mauritanian, United 93) and a story by Bronner and Zakes Mda.
“This is a powerful story of the intersection of art and activism, and this friction becomes more complex over time,” Condon said. “I am honored to be a part of this great team.”
Bronner was originally approached by the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation to write the script, and did extensive research for the script, including an in-depth interview with Simon. Additional story elements and research were contributed by renowned South African author Mda, who interviewed Masekela extensively.
Studiocanal, along with Flora Films and Rob Barth, are financing the film, which is described as “a story of defiance, sacrifice, and resilience of the human spirit.” Studiocanal will distribute the film in South Africa, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand. Palisades Park Pictures, an independent entertainment company backed by Ashland Hill Media Finance and led by CEO Tamara Birkemor, will launch additional international sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. Filming is scheduled to begin in June in South Africa.
Veteran music producer Hilton Rosenthal, who supported Simon during the production of his album Graceland, will co-produce the project. Rosenthal was also central to the development of the script, securing the music rights to Simon’s work and the work of iconic African artists, including the film’s protagonists, Masekela and Makeba. He will produce new recordings from Masekela and Makeba’s catalog of songs for the film’s soundtrack.
The film is produced by Ananth Singh (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) with Laura Bickford Productions’ Oscar nominee Laura Bickford (Traffic), Smashing Dandelion’s Bronner, 1000 Eyes’ Greg Yolen (Kiss of the Spider Woman), and executive producers Fiona Druckenmiller and Barth.
“Hugh Masekela, Trevor Huddleston and Miriam Makeba were incredible people,” said Singh, CEO of Videovision Entertainment. “Hugh’s journey with Archbishop Huddleston was legendary, and we are thrilled to be bringing ‘The Road Home’ to the big screen with StudioCanal.”
Executive producers on behalf of Studiocanal are Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal and Chief Content Officer of Canal+, Ron Halpern, Vice President of Global Production, and Shana Eddy-Grouf, Chief Creative Officer of the United States, with Sudie Smyth leading physical production. Sam Shipp is the creative executive on the film.
“We are honored to bring this South African story to the screen, a story of friendship and resistance told through the extraordinary journey of Hugh Masekela and Trevor Huddleston, Miriam Makeba and Paul Simon,” said director Marsh. “Our consistent goal is to tell local stories to audiences around the world. Rooted in South African identity, this story speaks far beyond our borders and shows how music can be a force for identity and change. That’s also why it was essential for us to tell this story from within South Africa, working closely with the voices and talent that shaped it.”
The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation and David Disson will also executive produce alongside award-winning South African broadcast journalist Siphiwo Lalo.
“We are proud to continue to uphold the boundless legacy of our beloved Bulla Hugh, who passionately founded the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation to preserve and promote African heritage and culture and celebrate the stories and talents of the African continent,” the foundation representative added.
“It was always Hugh’s intention to honor Father Huddleston’s role in his life and celebrate the voice of South African musicians in the liberation of our country in a variety of unforgettable works. This film is a testament to that truth,” their statement continues. “Bra Hugh said of his journey: “I got to this point in my life not because of anything I brought to the world, but because of something I discovered: the richness of African culture.”
Rametsi is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Myman Greenspan. Erivo is repped by UTA, Entertainment 360, The Lede Company, and Peikoff Mahan. Pearce is repped by CAA, Independent Talent Group, and Shanahan Management.
Bill Condon is repped by WME, Anonymous Content, Alexander, Lawrence, Frumes & Labowitz. Bronner is repped by Echo Lake, Anonymous Content, Richter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Sikora & Clark.
