Barkhad Abdi to star in 'The Place That Hits the Sun'

Actor Barkhad Abdi is in talks to star in the film 'The Place That Hits The Sun' from producer Noel Pearson.
The historical drama follows famous South African marathoner Willie Mtolo, a Zulu warrior, who competed in the 1992 New York Marathon.
The story centers on Mtolo and Ray de Vries, a Caucasian bar owner, whose unlikely friendship transcended apartheid South Africa, said the Hollywood Reporter.
Abdi, who was born in Somalia and moved to the US when he was 14, made his film debut in Paul Greengrass' Captain Phillips, playing a ship hijacker in the based-on-a-true-story film starring Tom Hanks.

He received a SAG, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar nomination for his work on the film.
In the best supporting actor category Leto is facing competition from Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave) and Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street).