Have we found the latest head-to-head movie subject match-up? We might just. Last month, the news broke that Warner Bros. and producer Robert Downey Jr. had hired The Help’s Tate Taylor to direct a film based on the Jaws-referenced real-life sea disaster surrounding the USS Indianapolis. It would seem they’ll have competition from Nic Cage, who has signed on to star in a version of the tale for Hannibal Classics.
Mario Van Peebles is aboard to direct this one, titled 'USS Indianapolis: Men Of Courage'. Cage has agreed to star as Captain Charles Butler McVay, who was in charge of the ship during a mission to supply parts for the atomic bomb when Japanese torpedoes sank it in July 1945. Approximately 300 of the 1196 crew went down with the ship and the remaining 880 faced dehydration, exposure and shark attacks while awaiting rescue. Only 321 were ultimately plucked from the water, and of those just 316 survived.
McVay ended up court-martialled, but thanks to the research of Hunter Scott, who 1996 was inspired by Spielberg's shark pic to write a report about the vessel and her ill-fated crew for a History Day competition, he was exonerated.
Though Warners and Downey Jr.’s production company has the life rights to Scott’s story, the incident itself is a matter of public record and the Hannibal team has been developing this one for five years, working alongside the US Navy. Van Peebles wrote the script with producers Rionda del Castro and Cam Cannon and plans are underway for a 500,000-gallon water tank and animatronic sharks. “This is an extremely demanding physical and emotional role and Nic has proven time and time again that he can take on such a challenge and excel,” del Castro tells Variety. “We are very excited to be working together again to bring to the screen a story about the power of the human spirit and its strength to survive against inconceivable odds.”
The producers want this one afloat in cinemas for the Memorial Day weekend next year, so expect a release around May 27.