Home Entertainment Michael Bay to direct LONG WALK TO FREEDOM with The Rock as Nelson Mandela

Michael Bay to direct LONG WALK TO FREEDOM with The Rock as Nelson Mandela

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If there’s one local icon that is loved harder than rugby, soccer, gatsby sammiches and Sunday alcohol, it’s got to be Nelson Mandela. While the great one has been portrayed in movies and television before, his full life story has yet to be turned into a full length feature film.

Until now that is, as Michael Bay will be shooting an upcoming biopic based on the beloved former president. Just without the boring bits that is. And he’s got some help from the great one himself, to portray the Brahma bull of politics.

“It’s going to rock your tits off, what we’ve got planned for this movie”, Bay said to Ain’t it Cool News while on the set of Transformers 4. “Basically, New Line Cinema gave me a $200 Million budget to spend on this, and since we’re shooting in Cape Town, that’s like ten times the amount that I would have normally to make pretty super whiz-bang fireballs of ultra-awesome in 3D”.

And the best bit? We’ve already got a ton of great actors who have committed themselves to the movie. We’ve got Dwayne Johnson on as Madiba from age 1 to 94, and he’s already working out now to pump himself up even more for the scenes where he addresses the nation for the first time. We’ve actually got this one great action scene planned out already, where he and Jason Statham (Who’s playing FW De Klerk) have one hell of a tumble through the CODESA negotiations.

When quizzed about the fact that there wasn’t even fan fiction which was close to accurate to what Bay had in store for the bestseller book, Bay wasn’t worried. “Look, no one wants to see Idris Elba portray Nelson Mandela in a factual film, because quite frankly, his magnificent acting skill would distract from the explosions. On the other hand, you’ve got Dwayne, who can practically elbow-drop an explosion, and walk away without a scratch”.

In fact, that also happens to be one of the scenes that we’re talking about right now. Ralph Fiennes is looking like a lock to play Eugene De Kock, in a scene where he raids the Truth and Reconciliation commission with a squadron of former 32 Battalion soldiers. Trust me on this, when you see The Rock fight side by side with Statham, Ving Rhames as Desmond Tutu and Megan Fox as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, you’re not going to care about facts.

Shooting kicks off next year on the movie once Bay wraps up on Transfomers 4, and will feature several bottle stores blown up during principal photography as part of the Western Cape Democratic Alliance drive to stop people from having fun and to keep those damn kids off the lawn.

Long Walk to Freedom also stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Pik Botha, Bruce Willis as Riaan Cruywaagen, Jeremy Irons as PW Botha and Alan Serkis in a motion capture performance as Julius Malema.

Last Updated: April 1, 2013

8 Comments

  1. April fool…..We get it Darryn.

    Reply

  2. Wtf101

    April 1, 2013 at 11:00

    Yeah, kinda lame this one Darryn 🙂 But still, it could be a kick-ass movie…

    Reply

  3. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    April 1, 2013 at 12:48

    GENIUS My good man! Such a pity Michael Clark Duncan passed away recently. He would have been perfect as a muscle-bound, Admiral General Jacob Zuma… 🙁

    Reply

  4. Gareth Lagesse

    April 2, 2013 at 07:51

    I heard that David Kramer is collaborating with Hans Zimmer for the score. Cannot wait!

    Reply

  5. Kromas

    April 2, 2013 at 09:00

    Shut up and take my money! I hope they shoot a sequel with Malema trying to hold the world ransom with nukes. They could cast Wesley snipes for the part with a Gautrain chase scene.

    Reply

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