Jennifer Hudson's film biography of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela is about to start production, despite threats of legal action by the ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, the film's producer said Saturday. Speaking at a news conference at the Cannes Film Festival, Andre Pieterse said he received a letter from lawyers for Madikizela-Mandela that “contained the threat of an interdict that could stop production” of “Winnie.” The letter said that “she would like to see the script and approve,” but Pieterse said he and director Darrell Roodt had decided against that. “The film will be made based on a screenplay that was well researched and without any interference, without any influence from any of the main characters.” Production on “Winnie” is slated to begin in South Africa on May 31 and last 10 weeks. The film stars another US actor, Terrence Howard, as Nelson Mandela. Oscar-winning US actress Hudson said she didn't know much about Madikizela-Mandela before accepting the role, but added she's been reading up on South Africa and on the Mandelas. “I'm still in the process of learning,” she said. “It's not small shoes to fill, it's a big deal. And it's something that I'm extremely excited about.”
