Clint Eastwood in the 2000s Oscar nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture for "Letters from Iwo Jima". In 2008, Eastwood directed "Changeling", based on a true story, starring Angelina Jolie. In 2009, Eastwood directed "Invictus", with Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as rugby team captain François Pienaar. John Carlin, author of the book on which the film is based, sold the film rights to Freeman. Then in 2011, Clint Eastwood collaborated with Brad Paisley to make the song "Eastwood". Clint Eastwood in the 2000s In 2000, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in "Space Cowboys" as Frank Corvin, a retired NASA engineer
Clint Eastwood in the 1970s was drawn to the role as ringleader Frank Morris and agreed to star, providing Don Siegel directed under the Malpaso banner. Siegel insisted that it be a Don Siegel film and out-maneouvered Clint by purchasing the rights to the film for $100,000. This created a rift between the friends, causing Siegel to depart to Paramount, a rival studio. Although their disagreement was later patched up and Siegel agreed for it to be a Malpaso-Siegel production, Siegel would never direct an Eastwood picture again. As Siegel and Tuggle worked on the script, the producers paid $500,000 to restore the decaying prison