Variety has confirmed that Jennifer Hudson, the multi-talented actress-singer whose accolades include an Academy Award for the movie "Dreamgirls" and a Grammy for "Best R&B Album" is set to star in the indie biopic about South African leader Winnie Mandela.
Production on the film will begin on May 30, 2010 in the South African locations of Johannesburg, Capt Town, Transkei and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison.
Winnie is based on Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob biography Winnie Mandela: A Life, adapted for the screen by Andre Pieterse, Paul L. Johnson and Darrell J. Roodt who also directs. The South African filmmaker has achieved international fame with Yesterday; Cry, The Beloved Country;and Sarafina!
Pieterse is producing alongside Michael Mosca of Canada's Equinoxe Films.
Throughout recent history, Winnie Mandela has been a controversial figure: on the one hand portrayed as the sympathetic mother and supportive wife of her activist husband, jailed herself for campaigning for his release, while on the other scrutinized for her association with a bodyguard who murdered a 14-year old alleged informer. For this, she was ultimately convicted of fraud.
Hudson tells Variety: "I was compelled and moved when I read the script...Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I'm honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told."
Hudson is also expected to record the film's theme song.
In addition to winning an Academy Award, Hudson's breakout performance in "Dreamgirls" also brought her a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA and an NAACP Image Award. She has also been honored by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review and as "Entertainer of the Year" at the Soul Train Awards. Hudson's self-titled first album won a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Album." The album also won three awards at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards including "Best Album." The RIAA Gold Certified album marked the biggest first week sales for an R&B entry since 2004.
More recently, Hudson has continued to build impressive film credits and demonstrate her range in the films "The Secret Life of Bees" and "Sex and the City: The Movie." She performed the national anthem at the 2009 Super Bowl, and she had her debut national tour, co-headlining with Robin Thicke, earlier this year.
