Since making his film debut as the antagonist Muse in ‘Captain Philips’, a performance that recently earned him a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor as well as an Oscar nomination, the second film appearance of Barkhad Abdi has garnered much anticipation. Now it has been confirmed that the Somalian actor is in talks to star in ‘The Place That Hits the Sun’, directed by Jim O’ Hanlon from Dublin.
O’Hanlon’s previous credits include the recent ‘Quirke’ as well as episodes of ‘A Touch of Cloth’, ‘Shameless’, ‘Emma’ and ‘Casualty’. He also directed the TV movie ‘Of Two Minds’ starring Kristen Davis of ‘Sex and the City.’
‘The Place that Hits the Sun’ will be produced by Noel Pearson on behalf of Ferndale pictures. Ferndale Films have produced a number of documentaries and films included Oscar-nominated ‘My Left Foot’ and ‘The Field’. The company will also be producing ‘The Secret Scripture’. Directed by Thaddeus O’ Sullivan and starring Jessica Chastain, the production will commence filming this summer.
‘The Place that Hits the Sun’ is a historical drama that follows the life of a famous South African marathon runner, Willie Mtolo. A Zulu warrior, Mtolo made athletic history and international headlines when he beat the world’s best runners in the 1992 New York Marathon. The story centres on the relationship between Mtolo and Ray de Vries, a Caucasian bar owner, whose friendship which transcended apartheid South Africa.
