Michael Kenneth Williams Joins ‘Twelve Years a Slave’

Director Steve McQueen is a selfish man. It's not enough that his 'Twelve Years a Slave' has Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Chiwetel Ejiofor, it has to have acclaimed actor Michael Kenneth Williams, best know to audiences for his role as Omar in 'The Wire' (he's also in 'Boardwalk Empire,' but OMAR!) Come on, Steve, do you have to hog all of the great actors?

'Twelve Years a Slave' sounds like it's going to stick pretty close to McQueen's filmmaking modus operandi, which is "Life stinks and everyone is sad and miserable." After the skin crawling misery on display in 'Shame' and 'Hunger' (both pretty great movies), it's only natural that the Irish filmmaker turns his camera toward another subject that will make you ashamed to be a human being: slavery. As Deadline says, the film is "...an adaptation of Solomon Northup’s 1853 book about a free black man who is drugged and dragged to the South to be sold into slavery." Total barrel of laughs.

Anyway, Williams will be playing the role of "Robert, a mutinous slave." Expect all of these great actors to act their butts off in one of the best films of the year. Also expect the film to get zero attention come Oscar time because McQueen's work is just too tough for Oscar voters.