MATT DAMON - MATT DAMON SIGNS UP TO PLAY FRANCOIS PIENAAR

MATT DAMON SIGNS UP TO PLAY FRANCOIS PIENAAR

Matt Damon has signed up to star as South Africa rugby legend Francois Pienaar in a new film, Variety magazine reports.

Damon will star alongside Morgan Freeman in the Clint Eastwood-directed Human Factor, due to being filming in South Africa next year.

The film will focus on the life of the former South African president Nelson Mandela, played by Freeman, after the fall of the apartheid and during the campaign to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

The host nation went on to win the tournament after defeating New Zealand 15-12 in the final.

The World Cup ended with the iconic image of Mr Mandela dressed in a South African rugby shirt and cap handing Pienaar the famous Webb Ellis trophy.

The film will be based on the book, The Human Factor: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed the World, written by John Carlin.

And the screenplay for the big screen adaptation is being penned by Anthony Peckham.