Clint Eastwood’s Invictus to open in December 2009

Warner Bros. recently announced that Clint Eastwood’s South Africa-set drama Invictus, will open nationwide on December 11, 2009.

Eastwood directed by four-time Oscar winner Clint (Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven), the film stars Oscar winners Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby, The Dark Knight) and Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, the Bourne trilogy).

“Invictus” tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team (Damon) to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with Spyglass Entertainment, “Invictus” is being produced by Eastwood; Lori McCreary, under her and Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment banner; Eastwood’s longtime producing partner Robert Lorenz, for Malpaso Productions; and Mace Neufeld for Mace Neufeld Productions. The screenplay is by native South African writer Anthony Peckham, based upon the book Playing the Enemy, by John Carlin. Freeman, Tim Moore and Spyglass Entertainment’s Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum are serving as executive producers.

Re-teaming with Eastwood, the behind-the-scenes creative team is led by director of photography Tom Stern, production designer James J. Murakami, editors Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach, and costume designer Deborah Hopper.

Filming on Invictus was done entirely on location in and around the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa.