Back in August when word first dropped that Brad Pitt was producing an adaptation of Solomon Northrop's amazing autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave, my hope then was that he'd find a role for himself in there somewhere. Turns out my wish has come true, as ScreenDaily reports(confirmed by Pitt's Plan B Productions) Pitt will star as well, although no indications of his role are available at this time. He joins the third collaboration by director Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender(Hunger, Shame), with Chiwetel Ejiafor(Serenity) holding down the powerful lead role.
The story is almost tooremarkable to be real. Northrop was a free man, married, and educated living in New York. Until he was lured to Washington DC by a job offer, which turned out to be a trap. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery, where he spent the next twelve years of his life until he was finally able to secure freedom through the court system. John Ridley(Three Kings) and McQueen co-wrote the script.
Fassbender and Pitt starred together in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, although the two barely had a moment together on screen. Hopefully that'll change once shooting kicks off some time next year.
