The upcoming biopic of South African cricket captain Graeme Smith has already begun filming in Cape Town and according to 2 Oceans Vibe, final scenes are set to be shot in Zimbabwe.
Oscar Nominee and the man behind the internationally acclaimed blockbuster District 9, Neill Blomkamp, will be directing the movie. Blomkamp will be quite a busy man in the coming months, as he has confirmed that he will be working closely with Die Antwoord for another upcoming film entitled Chappie.
It was originally believed that former SA Cricketer, Jonty Rhodes’ film was first in line for production. However it’s emerged that Blomkamp feels it is imperative that Smith’s biopic get the green light first and has sped production plans up. The director says:
Hollywood Hunk, Ryan Reynolds was in line to land the role of Graeme Smith, and he was even tipped off about the potential gig while he was in Cape Town (Filming Safe House alongside Denzel Washington) However Reynold’s inability to nail the South African Accent got in his way. We also hear that his ball catching skills weren’t up to scratch either!
Instead, Blomkamp decided to root for a local gem and approached Ken Weyers to play the role of Graeme Smith.
Weyers is still a bit of an unknown in the local film industry, although this role is sure to boost his popularity. However, his talented acting skills; his resemblance to Smith and even the fact that he shares the cricketer’s left-handedness all contributed to his being the perfect candidate for this role.
Local Zalebs who are also rumoured to be acting in the film include: Top Billing presenter Jeannie D, who is rumored to be cast as Smiths love interest. We also expect to see the ever so sizzling Minki van der Westhuizen who will be playing herself.
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