Ruth Negga to star in McQueen film

Ruth Negga is set to star in Steve McQueen's upcoming film Twelve Years A Slave. The Irish actress, who recently portrayed Shirley Bassey in BBC drama Shirley and has starred in E4's Misfits, has been cast as a runaway slave in the upcoming drama, reported Variety. She joins fellow Irish actor Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the big-screen adaptation of Solomon Northup's 1853 autobiography, which has been co-written by director Steve and John Ridley. There Will Be Blood's Paul Dano has been cast as a brutal slave owner, while Monsters actor Scoot McNairy who stars in Killing Them Softly alongside Brad Pitt - is to play a circus employee. Chiwetel is already on board as an educated, married black man in New York who was tricked into slavery for 12 years. His character finally earned back his freedom when a white Canadian carpenter smuggled letters to Northup's wife, which helped launch a court case that eventually set him free. Filming starts in June for a potential 2013 release.