Taye Diggs, whose creditsinclude Chicago, Basic and BrownSugar, has joined the cast of ArmadaPictures' true-life Apartheid drama Drum, which begins principal photography on Nov 7 inSouth Africa.

Set in the 1950s, the storycentres on a magazine writer who risks his life exposing the South Africanregime and sparks a popular protest movement.

UTA, attorney Ken Weinriband Abe Hoch of A Management brokered the deal for Diggs and attorney Robert OKaplan represented Armada.

Zola Maseko, anaward-winning South African short film director, is directing based on ascreenplay by Bringing Down The House screenwriter Jason Filardi.

Drum is being produced by Armada's founder, chiefexecutive officer and veteran producer Chris Sievernich and Matt Milich alongwith Johannesburg-based Rudolf Wichmann and Dumisani Dlamini.

Munich-based VIPMedienfonds' Andreas Schmid and Andreas Grosch serve as executiveproducers.

This is the second film togo into production under the Armada Pictures banner, which launched earlier thisyear (ScreenDaily Feb 4) with the aim of making five to eight studio-budget andlower budget films each year.

Jeff Renfroe and MarteinnThorsson's futuristic thriller One Point O, which stars Jeremy Sisto, Deborah Unger, Udo Kierand Lance Henriksen, is ready for delivery and will screen at MIFED next month.