Angelina-Jolie-and-Louis-Zamperini-in-pre-production-for-UnbrokenAfter making her feature directorial debut with 2011’s In the Land of Blood and Honey, Angelina Jolie is about to return behind the camera for her sophomore feature, Unbroken.

The film is based on the real-life events of Louis Zamperini, and with production soon to begin, Universal has released a first-look image of Jolie and Zamperini together.

Across the Atlantic, the film’s release date has already been set for Christmas Day next year, giving it a prime position on Universal’s slate for a run at the Oscars in early 2015.

The film is based on Laura Hillenbrand’s best-selling book, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, which is in turn based on the events of Zamperini’s life during WWII. Courtesy of Amazon, here’s the synopsis for Hillenbrand’s book:

A gripping true story of human endurance and the resilience of one remarkable individual during WWII from Laura Hillenbrand (author of ‘Seabiscuit’).

On a May afternoon in 1943, a US bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean. After an agonising delay, a young lieutenant finally bobbed to the surface and struggled aboard a life raft. So begins one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. As a boy, he turned to petty crime until he discovered a remarkable talent for running, which took him to the Berlin Olympics. But as war loomed, he joined up and was soon embroiled in the ferocious battle for the Pacific.

Now Zamperini faced a journey of thousands of miles of open ocean on a failing raft, dogged by sharks, starvation and the enemy. Driven to limits of endurance, Zamperini’s fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would depend on the strength of his will…

Jack O’Connell takes the lead as Zamperini, with Garrett Hedlund and Domhnall Gleeson starring alongside him.

Jolie is directing from a script first penned by Richard LaGravenese, with William Nicholson doing a rewrite, and Joel and Ethan Coen most recently lending their talents on a further rewrite.

Unbroken is set to be released in the US on December 25th, 2014, with its UK release date set for the following month on January 16th, 2015.

Angelina-Jolie-and-Louis-Zamperini-in-pre-production-for-Unbroken

 

Academy Award® winner Angelina Jolie directs and produces UNBROKEN, the epic drama of the life of Louis “Louie” Zamperini, adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s enormously popular book.

The project has a long history at Universal Pictures, which first acquired the rights to tell Zamperini’s life story in 1957, planned as a starring vehicle for Tony Curtis as his follow-up to Spartacus.

Jolie and Zamperini, neighbours in the Hollywood Hills, have become close friends over the development of the film, as the filmmaker has listened to the war hero recount the incredible incidents of his life over many months of preparation.

Zamperini gave Jolie a golden running shoe pendant, a prize from one of his earliest races, which she will wear every day as she helms the film in Australia over the coming months.

Jack O’Connell earned the starring role and will appear as Louis Zamperini.  O’Connell recently spent several afternoons meeting with Zamperini at his home to hear the man he’ll be portraying recount his incredible tale first-hand.  Zamperini retains many keepsakes from his adventures in his home.  Seeing Zamperini’s World War II bomber jacket, O’Connell asked permission to put it on, which Zamperini gladly gave.  The jacket fit O’Connell perfectly and became one of the first moments of him inhabiting the life of this legendary hero.

UNBROKEN arrives in cinema’s on January 16th 2015

 

The film is based on “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand, who also wrote “Seabiscuit: An American Legend.”  Universal optioned the rights to the book in December 2010.

Since being published in 2010, “Unbroken” has spent more than 145 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list, 14 of those in the top position, and has sold almost 3.5 million copies worldwide.  A young-adult version of the book will be published by Random House this coming spring.

“Unbroken” was named Best Nonfiction Book of the Year by Time magazine and won the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year Award for Nonfiction.

QUOTES:

ANGELINA JOLIE: “It will be hard to make a film worthy of this great man.  I am deeply honoured to have the chance and will do all I can to bring Louie’s inspiring story to life.  Everyone involved in the film shares this deep responsibility.  Like all readers of Laura’s book and all people who love and admire Louie, I am a fan who has learned so much.  He has made me a better person.”

LOUIS ZAMPERINI: “Angelina is a human dynamo, and I know she will tell this story in the right way.  I’ve received so many letters and talked to so many people who say that Laura’s book has helped them when they were going through hard times.  I believe the movie will reach even more people with that message.”