A project we first profiled in 2012, and previously thought was dead… Cuba Gooding Jr. stars in a drama that was initially titled "Something Whispered," was later retitled "Carry Me Home," and is now being released as "Freedom," which tells a tale set in 1850, of a man named Samuel (Gooding), who attempts to free his family from institutionalized slavery, heading north towards Canada, via the famed Underground Railroad, intent on escaping from the tobacco plantation they have been forced to call their home for two generations.
Sharon Leal plays Cuba’s wife in a cast of many that also includes William Sadler as one of the other more prominent names. David Rasche, Terrence Mann and Michael Goodwin also feature.
Director Peter Cousens’ resume is full of lots of TV work, so I previously automatically assumed that it would likely be a made-for-TV movie, possibly going to one of the cable TV networks; but with a June 5 theatrical release date later set, the film is now out in theaters, in a limited release, via Arc Entertainment, with a VOD and digital component along with it.
The script was penned by Timothy A. Chey.
Apparently, there are musical numbers in the film as well.
Unfortunately, the film hasn’t been well-reviewed by critics, scoring a 0% rating on movie review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. It certainly can’t get worse than that, with words like "preachy," "earnest," "half-baked," "messy" and "amateurish" common.
But, I suppose you shouldn’t let the critics stop you from seeing it if you’re interested in checking it out. Sadly, I’m not.
It’s worth noting that Leal also plays Cuba’s wife in what would have been a new Fox legal drama series titled "Guilty," which never made it to full series; although when we last reported on it, it appeared that it wasn’t entirely dead, as the network had reportedly remained interested in it, thanks to strong test scores for its pilot episode, which was directed by McG. It certainly sounded promising. We’ll see if it ever resurfaces.
It’s also worth noting that there are 2 event TV series in the works that also share the Underground Railroad as a key plot point.
Watch the official trailer for the Heritage Films production, "Freedom," below:
