Actor Idris Elba is set to play South African leader Nelson Mandela in the biopic Long Walk to Freedom, with Naomie Harris in talks to portray Nelson Mandela's wife, Winnie Mandela.

Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) is in negotiations to direct Long Walk to Freedom, from a screenplay by William Nicholson (Les Miserables). Anant Singh is producing alongside David M. Thompson.

Long Walk to Freedom is scheduled to begin production in May, on location in South Africa. The project is said to have an epic scope, spanning Nelson Mandela's entire life. There will also be scenes shot at Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars.

The production has been officially sanctioned by Nelson Mandela himself, and it

seems to be finally on the right track after years in development. Directors such as Tom Hooper and Shekhar Kapur were once attached, and Morgan Freeman was once attached to play Nelson Mandela. Morgan Freeman later went on to play Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood's 2009 drama Invictus.