Olympic athlete. American war hero. Plane crash survivor. The story practically writes itself, how could this not be a movie? After suffering for years in development limbo, it looks like Louis Zamperini may finally get the feature film treatment he deserves.
According to Deadline Francis Lawrence is in talks to direct the long-gestating biopic of Zamperini for Universal.
The film will be based on author Laura Hillenbrand's recent release, "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption". Hillenbrand is no stranger to having her books adapted for the screen, she also wrote the book "Seabiscuit" for which the movie of the same name was based on.
Zamperini was an Olympic athlete in 1936 and joined the Air Force in World War II as a bombardier, but his plane crashed and he spent 47 days lost at sea before the Japanese Navy rescued him and placed him in a POW camp where he was tortured.
Universal bought Zamperini’s life rights way back in 1957 and has been trying to develop the film for decades. At one point Tony Curtis was going to star, while Brad Pitt and Nicolas Cage have previously tried to produce the film over the years to no avail.
"Crazy Heart" director Scott Cooper is being looked at for writing a new adaptation for the studio while Matthew Baer and Erwin Stoff will produce.
Zamperini has lived quite the amazing life, and his film should translate to the silver screen beautifully.
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