To say that Doug Liman has a lot on his plate would be an understatement. Currently shooting “All You Need Is Kill” with Tom Cruise, the director has numerous projects cooking on the side including: the documentary “Reckoning With Torture: Memos And Testimonies From The War On Terror“; a movie about Two-Gun Cohen; an adaptation of Jack Finney‘s “Time And Again“; the spy flick “The Tourist” and the mountain climbing adventure “Everest.” And it’s the latter that has just gained a bit of momentum.
Deadline reports that Tom Hardy is in early talks to star to “Everest” taking the role of famed climber George Mallory. Based on the book “Paths Of Glory” by Jeffrey Archer (title changed for obvious reasons), the story will tell the true tale of the first man to climb Mount Everest. Mallory famously took three tries before reaching the summit but his determination was an inspiration to a scarred Britain just coming out of World War I. While there is some debate as to whether or not he reached the true peak of the mountain, he is largely credited for having accomplished the task. And of course, Mallory is also known for answering the question of why he wanted to do it by simply stating, “Because it’s there.”
Ready to go with a script by “Up In The Air” scribe Sheldon Turner, “Everest” will be Liman’s next picture after ‘Kill’ and presumably Hardy’s followup with “Mad Max: Fury Road.” It’s yet another intriguing turn from the actor who impressively changes skin each time out, as well as another name director to add to his CV, and we’ll definitely be excited to it all come together.