Angelina Jolie has began searching for the right young actor to play the lead in her adaptation of the incredible true story of Louis Zamperini, and Deadline reports Dane DeHaan, Jack O’Connell and Alexander Dreymom will test for the role in “Unbroken”, based on the best-selling book by Laura Hillenbrand.
Born in 1917 to Italian immigrant parents, Zamperini was picked on in school for his lack of English skills, but a troubled youth was turned around when he got involved in his high school’s track team. He went on to qualify for the 1936 Olympics in the 5000 metres race. He finished 8th in the race at the Olympics, but a fast finish time garnered him a personal meeting with Adolf Hiter. And that’s just the beginning of Zamperini’s epic journey as he then enlisted in the army in 1941 and was caught in a plane crash, landing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with two other soldiers, managing to survive for 47 days, before they were found and then immediately captured by the Japanese Navy. As a POW, Zamperini and pilot and fellow survivor Russel Allen “Phil” Phillips were beaten and starved for over three years before being discovered alive. Suffice to say, this is a juicy role and could be career-making for the right young actor. Deadline cautions Jolie, who has already met with an extensive list of young actors, may be testing others beyond the three reported here.
DeHaan is the most recognizable here and the one whose career seems to be absolutely on fire these days, currently on screen in Derek Cianfrance’s “The Place Beyond the Pines” opposite Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper and currently shooting the Harry Osborn role in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2″ opposite Andrew Garfield. O’Connell is known for UK series “Skins”, to which he returns as Cook for a special season 7, which catches up on past fan favorite characters, also featuring Kaya Scodelario’s return as Effy. He gave up the male led role in “Beautiful Creatures”, but landed one of the leads of “300: Rise of an Empire” instead. Not much is known about newcomer Dreymon, but he was born in 1983, making him the oldest contender here, and his credits include “Resistance” opposite Andrea Riseborough and the upcoming “Blood Ransom.”
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