Alex Heffes has been hired to score the upcoming biographical drama Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The film is directed by Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) and stars Idris Elba in the title role as the South African civil rights leader and Naomie Harris as Nelson Mandela’s wife, Winnie. Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Zolani Mkiva, Jamie Bartlett, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Deon Lotz and Terry Pheto are co-starring. William Nicholson (Gladiator, Les Miserables) has written the screenplay based on Mandela’s autobiography. The movie is produced by Anant Singh (Pulse) who started communicating with Mandela about making a film based on his life while he was still in prison and acquired the film rights to Mandela’s book at the time of its publication in 1996. Heffes has previously collaborated with Chadwick on his previous feature The First Grader. The Weinstein Company has recently picked up domestic rights for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and is planning a release on November 29, 2013.
Heffes has two movies being released in theaters this month. Opening on Friday is the historical drama Emperor directed by Peter Webber and starring Matthew Fox and Tommy Lee Jones and coming out later this month is the drama Love and Honor starring Liam Hemsworth and Teresa Palmer. The composer also has the action thriller The Tomb starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone coming up later this year.
