12 Years a Slave's Chiwetel Ejiofor may not have landed a role in Star Wars: Episode VII as some hoped, but he's keeping plenty busy with other projects. A few weeks ago he agreed to star in the long-developing remake of The Secret In Their Eyes, and of course he's part of John Hillcoat's remarkable Triple Nine cast. And while rumors he might play a villain in the next James Bond film haven't panned out (not yet anyway), it frees up time for Ejiofor to star in a project designed specifically for him.
Ejiofor will star in Marching Powder, based on the memoir written by Rusty Young and Thomas McFadden about their time inside an unusual San Pedro prison. The role of McFadden will go to Ejiofor, playing the convicted English drug trafficker who basically ran the South American prison which consisted of shops, restaurants, families living inside with the inmates, luxury suites, cocaine labs, and more. Young was an Australian journalist who paid a bribe to get inside and share a cell with McFadden after hearing of his life inside the prison, with the two forming a friendship in one of the weirdest prison stories ever.
This one is very early on as New Regency only just acquired the rights, so there is no writer or director attached. Still, it's good to see that Hollywood finally sees Ejiofor as an actor who can carry a film rather than just making him part of an ensemble. [Deadline]
