Cannes Film Festival to close with Forest Whitaker, Orlando Bloom thriller "Zulu"

The Cape Town-set thriller "Zulu," starring Orlando Bloom and Forest Whitaker, has been chosen to close this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Bloom and Whitaker star as two cops investigating a crime in a South Africa overshadowed by apartheid, the festival said Friday. The film is described as a mix of political film noir and social study.

The Jerome Salle-directed film was adapted for the screen by Julien Rappeneau (it's based on Caryl Ferey's novel of the same name). The project was filmed entirely on location in South Africa.

Whitaker won best male actor at Cannes in 1988 for his role in Clint Eastwood's "Bird."

It was previously announced that Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan, will open the 2013 festival, which runs from May 15-26. Steven Spielberg will head this year's jury.