EGOT winner John Legend has joined the cast of The Road Home, the upcoming feature film inspired by the life of South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela, with production currently underway in South Africa.
The film’s producers – CANAL+, STUDIOCANAL, Flora Films and South African co-producer Blue Ice – announced on Thursday that Legend will portray American singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte.
Legend joins a cast led by South African actor, writer and producer Thabo Rametsi, who stars as Hugh Masekela, alongside Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo as Miriam Makeba, Academy Award nominee Guy Pearce as Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, and South African-born actor and musician Johnny Flynn as Paul Simon.
Directed by Academy Award winner Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters) from an original screenplay by Michael Bronner (The Mauritanian, United 93), the film explores one of the most contentious moments in South African music history.
Graceland controversy
Set during Masekela’s years in exile, The Road Home follows the musician as he becomes caught between the international anti-apartheid movement, led by his mentor Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, and the controversy surrounding Paul Simon’s Graceland project, which faced criticism for allegedly breaching the United Nations’ cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa.
The story follows Masekela’s decision to work alongside fellow exile and long-time collaborator Miriam Makeba to create the Graceland touring band, highlighting music’s role as a form of political resistance during the struggle against apartheid.
Speaking about his casting, Legend said portraying Belafonte was both a privilege and a personal honour.
“I was honoured to know Mr. Belafonte as my friend, mentor and collaborator in the struggle for justice. He was an incredible human being who lived a monumental, revolutionary life. He was the epitome of an artist and activist who set a standard for me and so many others who stand on his shoulders. I count it a privilege to be entrusted with the role of Harry Belafonte in this special film.”
Zakes Mda involved
The screenplay originated after the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation approached writer-producer Michael Bronner to develop the project. The foundation worked closely with Bronner throughout the writing process, while acclaimed South African author Zakes Mda contributed additional story development and research based on his extensive interviews with Masekela.
Veteran music producer Hilton Rosenthal, who played a key role during the recording of Paul Simon’s Graceland album, is co-producing the film and overseeing new recordings from the Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba catalogues for the soundtrack. Rosenthal also secured music rights for works by Simon, Masekela and Makeba.
The production is led by Academy Award-nominated producer Laura Bickford alongside Michael Bronner, Greg Yolen and South African producer Anant Singh, in association with Blue Ice producers Tebogo Malia and Adam Friedlander.
STUDIOCANAL is financing the film with Flora Films and Rob Bath, and will distribute The Road Home across South Africa, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand. US-based Palisades Park Pictures is handling international sales in the rest of the world.
With filming now underway, producers also released a first-look image of Rametsi as Hugh Masekela, offering audiences an early glimpse of one of South Africa’s most anticipated international film productions.
