Wicked star Cynthia Erivo has been cast as South African musical legend Miriam Makeba in The Road Home.
The musical drama, announced on April 23, 2026, will centre around Makeba and Hugh Masekela, on their Apartheid-era tour with Paul Simon.
Film News Blitz writer Sarah Sharp uncovers what we know about the film so far.
South African star Thabo Rametsi has been cast as Masekela alongside Erivo’s Makeba.
Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) also joins the cast as anti-Apartheid advocate Archbishop Trevor Huddleston.
What we know so far
The Road Home is scheduled to begin filming in Cape Town in June 2026.
StudioCanal is financing the film alongside Flora Films and Rob Bath.
The film’s budget sits at R300 million, and more than 300 South African crew members, 68 local cast members, around 3500 extras and local musicians have been employed.
StudioCanal has described the musical drama as “a story of defiance, sacrifice and the resilience of the human spirit”.
Academy Award winner Bill Condon is set to direct with an original script by Michael Bronner.
Condon noted how honoured he is to be a part of this extraordinary team.
“This is a powerful story about art intersecting with activism, a friction that’s only become more complex with time,” he said.
The story of ‘The Road Home’
The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation originally approached Bronner to write the script.
He conducted ample research, including interviews with Simon.
South African writer Zakes Mda contributed additional story elements as he interviewed Masekela extensively.
The story is thus set to follow the exiled South African trumpeter, Masekela, as he gets caught between two worlds when his mentor (Huddleston) calls for the boycott of Masekela’s friend (Simon) for breaking the United Nations cultural boycott of South Africa.
Masekela then splits from his mentor to join fellow exile Makeba to form the Graceland band, bringing the voice of South Africa to the world.
Therefore, the film won’t be a biopic, but rather an exploration of the lives of Makeba and Masekela during the Apartheid era, highlighting the cultural and political conflicts during the 1986 Graceland tour.
The casting of The Road Home
The casting announcement has garnered mixed responses from fans online, particularly regarding Erivo’s casting as Makeba.
Erivo has given Tony and Grammy-winning performances, recently starring in the Wicked films and on stage in Dracula on the West End.
Fans appreciate her vocal prowess and star factor, but have also expressed frustration that the roles of South African icons are continually not given to South African actors.
This problem feels especially acute in the case of Makeba, who is not only known as Mama Africa, but will also require Erivo to sing in isiXhosa.
Erivo took to Instagram to speak on her casting.
“I have had a Miriam Makeba-shaped space in my heart for eons now, and the thought of bringing her to life this way is scary, a challenge,” the actress said.
“I can only hope that with hard work, I can do her the justice that she so deserves, and I am deeply honoured to be given the opportunity to try.”
She continued, “If you don’t know who she is, you should. A legend, a storyteller, a healer. Mama Africa.”
It’s Pata Pata time
Erivo did not exaggerate in her description of Makeba. She is an iconic South African singer, songwriter, actress and civil rights activist.
Culturally, she is known for her song ‘Pata Pata’ (most recently featured in the film Project Hail Mary), as well as her rendition of ‘Qongqothwane.’
Over the song’s opening bars, she explains: “In my native village, in Johannesburg, there is a song that we always sing when a young girl gets married. It’s called ‘The Click Song’ by the English because they can’t say ngqothwane.”
She also made a standout appearance in the 1959 anti-Apartheid docufilm Come Back, Africa.
This led to her international recognition, but also prompted her ban from South Africa by the Apartheid state.
In a recent online interview, Erivo commented on Makeba’s music and life.
“Strangely enough, I’m studying her at the moment. I love her. She was activism through music. She had a crazy, interesting life, and she was very forward-thinking as an African woman.”
She further noted, “I think she was divorced like four times. But she really wanted to live her life making music. And she resisted using her music.”
It will truly be a privilege to watch Makeba’s music come to life on the big screen.
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