Steve McQueen has always favored doing the unexpected; he's only directed three films and they are as different from one another as possible. But now that his film 12 Years a Slave has earned him a Best Picture win, he's continuing the trend of walking to the beat of his own drum. While in New York for the Hidden Heroes awards, McQueen revealed his next film will be about blacklisted entertainer and civil rights activist, Paul Robeson.
Robeson was born in 1898 New Jersey the son of an escaped slave, and he grew up to be a fascinating, multi-talented man. Not only was he a singer of some reknown, but he excelled at football, was an actor on the stage and screen, and much more. He was also very politically active and became vocal during the civil rights movement, but it was his embracing of Communism that led to his being blacklisted during the McCarthy trials. McQueen has been wanting to tell Robeson's story for years, and now he's finally got the chance...
McQueen: “His life and legacy was the film I wanted to make the second after 'Hunger.' But I didn’t have the power, I didn’t have the juice", he continued, “It was about this black guy who was in Wales and was singing with these miners. I was about 14 years old, and not knowing who Paul Robeson was, this black American in Wales, it seemed strange. So then, of course, I just found out that this man was an incredible human being.”
So fascinating story, to be sure, and perhaps we'll see a reunion between McQueen and Ejiofor? He's always had the tendency to work with the same actors multiple times, so maybe there will also be a role in there somewhere for Michael Fassbender? [TheGuardian]
