A powerful new musical drama is on the way, bringing together global talent to tell a deeply rooted South African story.
Cynthia Erivo, Thabo Rametsi, and Guy Pearce are set to lead The Road Home, a film centered on South African music legends Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela during a pivotal cultural and political moment.
Backed by STUDIOCANAL and Flora Films, the project will be directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters), from a screenplay by Michael Bronner with story contributions from acclaimed South African writer Zakes Mda.
Set against the backdrop of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, the film follows Masekela (Rametsi), a trumpeter living in exile and navigating the tension between art, activism, and identity. When the movement—led in part by his mentor, Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (Pearce)—launches a boycott against Paul Simon over his township-inspired album Graceland, Masekela finds himself at a moral crossroads.
Rather than fall in line, he charts his own path.
Reuniting with fellow exile and longtime collaborator Makeba (Erivo), Masekela helps form the Graceland band—an international collective designed to amplify South Africa’s voice on a global stage. For him, music isn’t just expression—it’s resistance.
The film will feature music from Makeba, Masekela, and Simon, with veteran producer Hilton Rosenthal overseeing new recordings for the soundtrack. Rosenthal, who played a key role during the original Graceland era, also helped secure the music rights.
The screenplay is rooted in extensive research. Bronner, who was first approached by the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation, worked closely with the organization to ensure historical accuracy, while also conducting in-depth interviews with Simon. Mda contributed additional insight, drawing from his own interviews with Masekela.
Produced by Laura Bickford, Bronner, Greg Yolen, and Anant Singh, The Road Home is positioned as both a sweeping musical drama and a story grounded in legacy, resistance, and the global power of Black artistry.
STUDIOCANAL will distribute the film internationally, with Palisades Park Pictures launching sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.