Michael Fassbender and Steve McQueen have broken their one-word title streak.
The actor/director team, who previously worked together on "Hunger" and "Shame" and could be headed for a collaborative career of De Niro/Scorsese proportions, are working together for the third time with the period drama, "12 Years a Slave," according to The Playlist.
"12 Years a Slave" is based on the 1853 autobiography written by Solomon Northup, a free black man who was tricked into slavery. Educated, married and living in New York, Northup (to be played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) was lured by a job offer in Washington only to be kidnapped and enslaved under various owners for several years.
Northup earned back his freedom when a white Canadian carpenter (to be played by Fassbender) smuggled letters to Northup’s wife, which helped launch a court case that eventually set him free.
Fassbender and McQueen have proven to be a great team, and it will be great to see them expand a bit on the smaller-scale character dramas they've delivered so far. Filming is set to commence in early 2012.
Meanwhile, "Shame" continues to garner great film festival buzz due to Fassbender's riveting performance as a sex addict. The film recently screened at the New York Film Festival and will probably hit theaters sometime early next year.
