I have been on the Chiwetal Ejiofor bandwagon since Stephen Frears’ 2002 drama Dirty Pretty Things (rent it if you haven’t seen it), and his career has only picked up speed with each solid performance this underrated actor has turned in. The idea of pairing him with Hunger director Steve McQueen sends film geek chills down my spine, as the filmmaker has shown a tremendous need for patience in a scene and Ejiofor is the kind of actor who could take a nap on screen and still hold our interest.

According to reports in The Hollywood Reporter, Ejiofor will star in McQueen’s adaptation of Solomon Northup’s 1853 autobiography, Twelve Years a Slave. Northrup was a married, educated, free black man who eventually was captured and enslaved while on a trip from New York City to Washington, D.C. Historians over the years reportedly have used Northup’s book as a guidebook to slave life in the early 1800s. The book goes on the detail the court case that led to Northup’s reclaimed freedom, though it’s unsure how much ground McQueen will cover with his project.

But you just know that Northup’s acclaimed book is brimming with the kinds of intricate details storytellers like McQueen and Ejiofor like to sink their teeth into. I’d follow each of these men into any film. The fact that they're working together sweetens an already appetizing pot. In the meantime, McQueen is preparing to unveil Shame at the Venice Film Festival. The drama reunites him with Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class) in a story about a deviant sex addict who reconsiders his dark ways after his younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in with him.