He’s most recently rode to the rescue of troubled Western drama Jane Got A Gun, but for a future film, director Gavin O’Connor is tackling a real-life story of danger and weaponry. He’s boarded **Massacre In The Himalayas.
The idea for the film was sparked by an article in Men’s Journal by Freddie Wilkinson, which chronicled what happened when a top-class team of international mountaineers began an attempt to conquer K2 in Pakistan. While their journey was already perilous, they faced an equal threat from extremists, who attacked the party and killed 10 climbers and the local Pakistani cook who had been travelling with them.
300 producer Gianni Nunnari bought the rights to the article, which was first published last August. He’s secured O’Connor to direct and the pair will start looking for a writer.
“I love the idea of using the colossal backdrop of K2, the second highest peak on earth, to explore a man’s battle for survival against the Taliban, nature, and himself,” says O’Connor in a statement to Variety. “Our hero becomes a one-man army on a quest to avenge the deaths of his mountaineering team. His experience becomes a living nightmare, a lifetime journey, and a redefinition of the man.”
It joins several other projects O’Connor is considering, including one about the Yakuza and the remake of Tell No One. Jane Got A Gun is scheduled to arrive in the US on February 20 next year, but there’s no sign of a UK date yet.