When Michael Fassbender first got international attention as an actor, it was for his gripping lead turn in the Steve McQueen-directed drama Hunger. When Michael Fassbender's private parts got even more international attention, it was for his lead turn in the Steve McQueen-directed drama Shame. And now even though Fassbender is off starring int he likes of Prometheus and X-Men: Days of Future Past, Fassbender is staying loyal to the director who gave him his big break-- and finally we know when the next collaboration between them will be revealed.
Though don't get too excited about Fassbender's performace-- for the first time McQueen is directing a film without Fassbender in the lead, hiring Chiwetel Ejiofor to lead the historical drama Twelve Years A Slave. Based on the true story of Solomon Northrup, a free black man sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South, Twelve Years A Slave is coming to theaters on December 27, according to a tweet from distributor Fox Searchlight. Ejiofor is playing Northrup, and McQueen has brought in a serious cast to back him up-- Brad Pitt is on board to act as well as produce, rising stars Paul Dano, Adepero Oduye and Scoot McNairy have roles, and even little Quvenzhane Wallis, fresh off her Best Actress nomination, has a role. Fassbender is back with McQueen, of course, and if your heart can handle it, Benedict Cumberbatch has found his way on board as well.
Of course, with a cast that big, we have no idea how everyone fits into the narrative, but that will be just one of the many surprises awaiting us when Twelve Years A Slave arrives in December-- in the thick of awards season, of course. The awards prospects for Shame didn't pan out quite the way most people expected, with Fassbender missing out on a richly deserved Best Actor nomination, but it's good to see Searchlight putting so much faith in Slave, and to see a director McQueen stepping up with a project so ambitious for just his third go-round.
