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Morgan Freeman to play Madiba
22/06/2007 21:42 - (SA)
Los Angeles - Veteran US actor Morgan Freeman is to play former President Nelson Mandela in a drama based around the leader's appearance at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, it was reported on Friday.
Freeman, the Oscar-winning star of The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby and Seven, said he was honored to be given the opportunity of playing Mandela, entertainment journal Daily Variety reported.
"I have known Nelson Mandela personally for quite some time, and am continually in awe of his enormous presence in the world," Freeman was quoted as saying. "The opportunity to portray him in this film is a great honor."
The film is to be base on an upcoming book by British journalist John Carlin, The Human Factor: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed the World, the report added.
It will focus on events surrounding the 1995 Rugby World Cup in post-apartheid South Africa and how Mandela used the tournament - won by South Africa - to bring whites and blacks together.
Mandela appeared in a Springbok jersey to present the trophy to captain Francois Piennar after the final at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, which has become an iconic moment in the history of the country and sport.
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