Ryan Gosling and his Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn are planning no less than three more films, but there is one up-and-coming duo that has even more under their belt. Visual artist Steven McQueen made his directorial debut Hunger, which served as break-out vehicle for Michael Fassbender, who gave a stunning performance. They follow it up with the sex addiction drama Shame, which hits theaters this year and we loved at Toronto. They will now cap off their trilogy with 12 Years a Slave, Variety reports.
The drama already has Chiwetel Ejiofor starring and we previously reported the true story is based on Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped in 1841 and sent to a slave plantation in Louisiana, which he was rescued from in 1853. The film (written by McQueen and John Ridley) is an adaptation of his memoir that recounts the struggle, also called Twelve Years a Slave. That book also details his time before slavery — including how men pretending to be circus promoters who wanted to hire him as a violin player sent him to a hotel in Washington, D.C., where he was bound and sold as a slave. He was eventually freed, thanks to the assistance of a Canadian carpenter, which Fassbender will likely take the role of.
The actor was a highlight in the disappointing A Dangerous Method and will also be seen in Ridley Scott‘s huge sci-fi tentpole Prometheus next summer. It is rare such a prominent actor can balance something that like with smaller films like this, all while commanding the screen each time. With Shame being one of my favorites this year, I look forward to his long partnership with McQueen.
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce through Pitt‘s Plan B Entertainment, with shooting beginning next year. Shame hits limited release on December 2nd, 2011 via Fox Searchlight.
What do you think of Slave being their third film together?