Mandela-Long-Walk-to-Freedom-PosterIn Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Idris Elba will bring to the big screen one of the most renowned politicians in history, who made his name standing against Apartheid in South Africa, before going on to become the country’s President in 1994.

The upcoming biopic is due to be released towards the end of the year in prime position for a run at the Oscars. And now the first teaser trailer has been released, giving us our first good look at Elba in the eponymous role.

The story of South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, spanning over seventy years, including his struggle against apartheid, 27 years in jail, and his rise to prominence as a political leader and head-of-state.

This epic motion picture spans Mandela’s extraordinary life, from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected President of South Africa.  MANDELA is the thrilling story of an ordinary man who rose to the challenge of his times and triumphed – an intimate portrait of the making of a modern icon.

Naomie Harris stars opposite Elba as Mandela’s wife, Winnie. And starring alongside them will be Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Zolani Mkiva, and Jamie Bartlett.

Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) is directing from a script written by the Oscar-nominated William Nicholson (Gladiator, Les Misérables).

It may well still be very early days yet, but Elba’s performance is definitely already abuzz (albeit, prior to being seen) with potential Best Actor nominations. He has deservedly been on the rise in recent years, and we’re very much looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table here in a few months’ time.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom will begin its limited release in the US on November 29th, distributed by The Weinstein Company, ahead of its UK release date, which is set for a little later on 3rd January, 2014.