A colonial drama set in South Africa at the turn of 20th Century is to be filmed in the country later this year, with Cape-based Film Afrika as the local facilitator.
Joining British heartthrob Colin Firth (Bridget Jones Diary, Pride and Prejudice) in the cast for The Colossus, are Oscar-winning Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener, Runaway Jury), Sir Ian McKellan (The Da Vinci Code, Lord of the Rings) and Susan Sarandon (Shall We Dance, Dead Man Walking).
Sean Mathias, who wrote the script based on Ann Harries’ novel, Manly Pursuits, together with Myer Taub, will direct. Lisa Katselas is the producer.
The Colossus is a fictionalised version of real events and concerns an ornithologist hired to transport English songbirds to the recently deposed South African prime minister. He falls in love with a political activist and becomes entangled in a plot to stop the imminent Boer War.
The Little Film Co. is selling the $15 million project worldwide.
