Gugu Mbatha-Raw joins 'Free State of Jones'; 'Deadpool' adds TJ Miller and Ed Skrein

 2014 was basically the year of Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The British actress, who got her cinematic career started in Larry Crowne, wowed audiences in both the period drama Belle and the music world romance Beyond the Lights. Now she's set to join Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey in the Civil War film, Free State of Jones. Directed by Gary Ross and based on a true story, it follows soldier Newton Knight who rebelled against the Confederacy during WWII and attempted to establish the "Free State of Jones" in Mississippi. McConaughey takes the lead role while Mbatha-Raw will play a slave named Rachel who forms a relationship with Knight. [TheWrap]

20th Century Fox's X-men universe is growing, and while fans are eager for The Wolverine 2 and X-men: Apocalypse, there's also a Gambit film on the way and the forever-developing Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds. Deadpool already promises to be a wild, mouthy, R-rated bonanza but it promises to be even funnier now that TJ Miller (Big Hero 6, Silicon Valley) is joining the cast. Miller will be joined by Ed Skrein (Game of Thrones) in the anti-hero flick about the infamous "merc with a mouth" who debuted on-screen in X-men Origins: Wolverine. Miller's role is said to be a comedic one, which isn't much of a surprise, and for me I can only hope he takes on the role of Deadpool's beleaguered weapons dude, Weasel. Skrein could be up for the villain, although there's no word on what character that could be. [TheWrap]

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Matthew McConaughey and Gary Ross Team for Civil War Drama 'Free State of Jones'

This weekend you'll have a chance to see Matthew McConaughey head into deep space to save humanity in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar (review here), and already he's lining up another project. With the American Film Market underway deals have been getting made left and right, and now McConaughey and Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) have come together for the true Civil War tale, Free State of Jones.

This is a project Ross has been developing for years, and with McConaughey on board it should have no problem with financing. Free State of Jones tells the true story of Newton Knight, a Confederate soldier and farmer during the Civil War who defected and led a rebellion against them. He and a group of like-minded individuals set out to form the Free State of Jones around Mississippi. Knight was a controversial figure seen as a traitor by some and noble by others. He conducted raids against the Confederacy during the war, and also was in a common law marriage with a slave at a time when it was both illegal and frowned upon socially.

A film loosely based on Knight's exploits was released in 1948, titled Tap Roots. [Deadline]

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