Truth rating: 10
9:54 am, December 19th, 2012
(GettyImages.com)
Angelina Jolie is set to direct Unbroken, the incredible true story of Louis Zamperini, the U.S. Olympic athlete who later survived a World War II plane crash and a horrifying stint as a prisoner of war in Japan.
It will mark Jolie’s second time in the director’s chair, following her 2011 film In the Land of Blood and Honey.
A track star at the 1936 Olympic Games, Zamperini was serving as an American bombardier in the Pacific in 1942 when his plane plummeted into the ocean during a search-and-rescue mission.
Zamperini and two crew mates survived for 47 days on a raft in shark-infested waters before their capture by the Japanese, who beat and held Zamperini in captivity until the war ended three years later.
Zamperini’s remarkable tale was originally supposed to be a film in the 1950s, and has recently received renewed interest with the publication of “Seabiscuit” author Laura Hillenbrand’s “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,” which will serve as the basis for Jolie’s movie.
“I read Laura Hillenbrand’s brilliant book, and I was so moved by Louie Zamperini’s heroic story, I immediately began to fight for the opportunity to make this film,” said Jolie in a statement.
She continued, “Louie is a true hero and a man of immense humanity, faith and courage. I am deeply honored to have the chance to tell his inspiring story.”
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