Cannes: Sam Neill Joins Daniel Radcliffe's South African Prison Escape Thriller

'Escape From Pretoria' is being written and directed by Francis Annan.

Sam Neill is set to star alongside Daniel Radcliffe in the upcoming prison-break thriller Escape from Pretoria.

The film, being shopped to buyers in Cannes by The Works International, will the tell the real-life story of how two anti-apartheid activists in South Africa broke out of Pretoria's maximum-security prison in 1978.

Neill (Jurassic Park, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) will take on the role of South African social campaigner and activist Denis Goldberg, who was a member of the African National Congress’ military wing and a key player in the struggle against apartheid. Goldberg was imprisoned with other key members of the anti-apartheid movement, including Tim Jenkin (Radcliffe), and was the only white man to be sentenced, alongside Nelson Mandela. He received four life terms in 1964 and was finally released in 1986 having served 22 years.

David Barron (Cinderella, Harry Potter, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein), Footprint Films’ Mark Blaney (This Is Not a Love Song) and Jackie Sheppard (Africa United) will produce alongside The Works Film Group. Executive producers for The Works are Martin McCabe, Deepak Sikka and Mick Southworth.

Escape From Pretoria, which is being written and directed by rising talent Francis Annan, is set to begin shooting in early 2018 in South Africa.