Matthew McConaughey is headed to war, the Civil War to be exact. The Oscar-winner will star in this summer's Free State of Jones, a true story based on Newton Knight, a confederate soldier and farmer who deserted the Confederacy and attempted to start his own state, one where race was no longer an issue. EW has debuted the first poster for the film, which naturally puts McConaughey front and center, but they also have a few words from the actor on Knight's story which you won't hear about in the history books.
“It’s a story about America and its relation with the individual and freedom. The period of Reconstruction following the Civil War is still under construction today. Why we were divided by race instead of being united by class didn’t make sense to Newt Knight back then, and it wouldn’t make sense to him today.”
Directed by Gary Ross with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell, Mahershala Ali, and Brendan Gleeson, Free State of Jones opens May 13th 2016.
