Invictus, aka The Human Factor

Thanks to Niles for sending us this concept art for the poster for Invictus — the newly announced title for Clint Eastwood’s Nelson Mandela project. Click on the close-up above and you’ll see the working title, The Human Factor, was still in play when this one-sheet was designed. (IMDb hasn’t yet caught up with the title change either).

Publisher’s Weekly gives us this synopsis of John Carlin’s book, ‘Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation,’ adapted by Anthony Peckham (Sherlock Holmes):

Carlin offers the final dramatic chapters of how then president Nelson Mandela and his wily strategy of using a sporting event‚Äîthe Sprinkboks rugby team in the 1995 World Cup‚Äîto mend South Africa. Carlin, a senior international writer for El Pa√≠s, quotes Mandela: Sports has the power to change the world…. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers. After giving an informed capsule history of apartheid’s bitter legacy and Mandela’s noble stature as a leader, the scene is set for the influential rugby match between the solid New Zealand team and the scrappy South African squad in the finals of the World Cup, with 43 million blacks and whites awaiting the outcome. All of the cast in Afrikaner lore are here‚ÄîBotha, DeKlerk, Bernard, Viljeon‚Äîas they match wits with Mandela. Carlin concludes this excellent book of redemption and forgiveness with chapters that depict how a divided country can be elevated beyond hate and malice to pride and healing.

The Human Factor never felt like a workable working title, and always made me think of one of Graham Greene’s best espionage novels. Invictus makes me think of 4 of my wristwatches, but it has the ring of steadfast majesty that will look good on Oscar ballots.

A few stills after the cut, some of which we’ve seen before.