Matt Damon to play Francois Pienaar

Washington (ANI): Matt Damon has signed on to join Morgan Freeman in the Clint Eastwood-directed film 'Human Factor' for Warner Bros. Damon will play the role of a rugby star Francois Pienaar, who created, with Nelson Mandela, an event that gave whites and blacks in South Africa a common cause to rally around as the country was trying to heal from the wounds of apartheid, reports Variety.

The film, an adaptation of John Carlin's book 'The Human Factor: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed the World,' is scripted by Anthony Peckham. Freeman and Revelations partner Lori McCreary will produce with Rob Lorenz and Mace Neufeld.

Freeman brought the project to Eastwood and also to WB, where both Revelations and Eastwood's Malpaso have their overall deals. Production will begin early next year in South Africa.