By Chris Richburg
While Morgan Freeman is making his movie rounds as Nelson Mandela, he’ll be happy to know that he’ll have Jennifer Hudson as his former better half. But not in the same film.
Variety reports the singer/actress will play Winnie Mandela in the new drama, Winnie. For Hudson, the chance to play a woman who has seen her share of ups and downs in the political spotlight was too good to pass up.
“I was compelled and moved when I read the script,” Hudson revealed to Variety. “Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I’m honored to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told.”
Best known for her support of Nelson Mandela as well as her efforts to free her husband, who was jailed as he led the 
fight against apartheid in South Africa, Winnie Mandela has been at the center of controversy over the years. Among the lowlights was a reported association with a bodyguard who murdered a 14-year old alleged informer for the government, addition to a 2003 conviction for fraud and theft.
Despite being in good standing in the eyes of some, the good and bad of Winnie Mandela’s story will be told in Winnie. In addition to starring in the film, Hudson is expected to sing the film’s theme song. Winnie is set to begin production May 30 in various locations in South Africa, including Johannesburg, Capt Town, Transkei and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison.
Those wondering about Freeman’s portrayal of the former South African president can catch that next month in the Clint Eastwood-directed feature Invictus. The film, which also stars Matt Damon as South African rugby team captain Francois Pienaar, centers on Mandela’s release from prison as well as his attempt to use the 1995 Rugby World Cup to help bring his country together after the fall of apartheid.
Invictus his theaters Dec. 11.
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