Matt Damon is turning to his acting once again as it has just been announced he's taking up the role of the rugby player Francois Pienaar in the Clint Eastwood directed film The Human Factor adapted from the novel The Human Factor: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed the World by John Carlin.

The story recounts the 1985 Rugby World Cup which was hosted by South Africa and featured the Springboks team who had been excluded from the competition for so long due to the country's apartheid history.

However when apartheid ended and Nelson Mandella became president, the country was awarded the hosting of the competition and for the first time in a long time South Africa united behind their team and competed against the world's best, taking them to the very brink of the competition, even overtime, and winning the World trophy.

Prior to this the team had been viewed more as a symbol of black exclusion, but the competition and the team united the country behind them and helped the country heal a little in the eyes of the people themselves and the watching world.

Clint Eastwood has picked up The Human Factor to direct, only after Morgan Freeman took the project to him with the blessing of Nelson Mandella himself, oh and Freeman is playing Mandella if you didn't know. The script comes from Anthony Peckham who adapted from the novel.

Variety has the news that Damon will take the role of the team captain who forged a relationship with Mandella and spearheaded the victory. It's going to be a great film, and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Will it be a straight team overcoming the odds and to victory kind of story, or will there be more of what's happening in the country before, during and after the games?

What is clear is that it'll give Matt Damon the opportunity to get his teeth into a strong acting role again rather than fighting, looking grave and robbing casinos.