She enjoyed a successful 2014 between period drama Belle and music pic Beyond The Lights, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s 2015 is shaping up fairly well too. She’s now landed a role in Free State Of Jones opposite Matthew McConaughey.
Gary Ross has been developing the American Civil War drama for several years now, planning to bring to the screen the story of Newton Knight. A Mississippi man who had been a loyal Confederate recruit, he defected from the army and took a group of like-minded troops with him to create the Free State of Jones. Knight later married a slave (Mbatha-Raw’s Rachel), creating one of the first ever publicised mixed race unions in the South, fought against the Confederates from within his new state and led a daring raid to free children who were still enslaved following the end of the conflict.
Now that he’s locked down the crucial two lead roles, Ross will finally start shooting this year. Mbatha-Raw is part of the cast for Jupiter Ascending (due here on February 6) and has most recently worked on The Whole Truth with Keanu Reeves. She’s currently shooting the untitled Will Smith American football concussion drama (which will need a much catchier name before it hits screens).