John Legend has been cast as Harry Belafonte in The Long Road, a forthcoming film set around Paul Simon’s controversial Graceland tour during apartheid-era South Africa. Directed by Bill Condon, the film will focus primarily on South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela’s decision over whether to join Simon’s tour, rather than on Simon or the album’s production itself; it revisits tensions around cultural collaboration, anti-apartheid activism and a boycott of Simon.

Johnny Flynn will play Simon, while Thabo Rametsi portrays Masekela and Cynthia Erivo plays Miriam Makeba; Guy Pearce has been cast as anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Trevor Huddleston. Graceland was a major critical and commercial success in 1986, but Simon faced criticism after recording partly in South Africa without first consulting anti-apartheid movement leaders; the tour included Masekela, Makeba and other South African musicians and began in Zimbabwe. The film is currently shooting in South Africa.