Cynthia Erivo, Guy Pearce Board ‘The Road Home’ South Africa Music Movie

Studiocanal has teamed with Flora Films on The Road Home starring Emmy, Grammy, Tony winner and three-time Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo (Wicked, Harriet), multi-award winning South African actor, writer, director and producer Thabo Rametsi (Silverton Siege), and Academy Award Nominee Guy Pearce (The Brutalist).

Oscar winner Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls, Kiss of the Spider Woman) will helm from an original screenplay by Michael Bronner (The Mauritanian, United 93), from a story by Michael Bronner and Zakes Mda.

Exiled from his native South Africa, trumpeter Hugh Masekela (Rametsi) is pulled between two worlds when the Anti-Apartheid Movement, led by his mentor fierce anti-apartheid advocate Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (Pearce), launches a boycott against Hugh’s friend Paul Simon, over his township music-inspired album “Graceland”, accusing Simon of violating the United Nations’ Cultural Boycott. Splitting from his mentor, Masekela, who sees music as a powerful weapon in the struggle, joins forces with fellow exile and lifelong collaborator, powerhouse vocalist Miriam ‘Mama Africa’ Makeba (Erivo), to create the Graceland band – a super group designed to bring South Africa’s voice to the world. The pic features the music of Masekela, Makeba, and Simon.

Award winning writer-producer Michael Bronner, whose relationship with South Africa began in 2000 while working on a Peabody Award-winning documentary for CBS’ 60 Minutes, was first approached to pen the screenplay by the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation.

With an institutional knowledge of Masekela’s life and values, the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation provided insights to Bronner during the development process. Bronner also conducted extensive research for the script, including in-depth interviews with Simon. Additional research was contributed by South African writer Zakes Mda, who interviewed Masekela extensively. The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation and David Dison are EPs on The Road Home alongside South African broadcast journalist Siphiwo Ralo.

Veteran music producer Hilton Rosenthal will serve as Co-Producer, and will be producing new recordings from Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba’s amazing catalogue of songs for the pic’s soundtrack.

Rosenthal, who was instrumental in supporting Simon during the making of the Graceland album, has been at the center of script development and has secured music rights to both Simon’s work and that of iconic African artists including the film’s protagonists, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba.

The Road Home will be produced by Oscar nominated producer Laura Bickford (Traffic, Che Part 1 and Part 2, Arbitrage) for Laura Bickford Productions, Michael Bronner for Smashing Dandelions, Greg Yolen (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Good Liar) for 1000 Eyes, and Anant Singh (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Sarafina!), in association with executive producers Fiona Druckenmiller and Rob Bath.

Serving as EPs are Studiocanal executives, Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal and Chief Content Officer of Canal+, EVP of Global Production Ron Halpern and US Chief Creative Officer, Shana Eddy-Grouf, with Sudie Smyth leading Physical Production. Sam Shipp serves as a creative executive on the film.

Studiocanal is financing the film with Flora Films and Rob Bath. Studiocanal will release in South Africa, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand. U.S.-based Palisades Park Pictures, backed by Ashland Hill Media Finance, and helmed by CEO Tamara Birkemoe, will launch international sales for the film at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

Bill Condon is represented by WME, Anonymous Content, and Alexander, Lawrence, Frumes & Labowitz. Bronner is repped at Echo Lake, Anonymous Content, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark. Thabo Rametsi is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Myman Greenspan. Cynthia Erivo is represented by UTA, Entertainment 360, The Lede Company and Peikoff Mahan. Guy Pearce is represented by CAA, Independent Talent Group and Shanahan Management.