Shekhar Kapur has had more success when making films about iconic British figures (Elizabeth) than attempting to remake dramas (The Four Feathers). So he’s sticking with his strength for a biopic about famed explorer George Mallory.
**Vanity Fair’**s Mark Skeet and Matthew Faulk have worked on the script with producer Kevin Townsend, and the plot will follow Mallory’s growing obsession with conquering Everest and the strain it places on his marriage.
His quest had a tragic ending – in 1924 he and his climbing partner disappeared 800 feet from the summit of the mighty mountain, and his body was discovered years later, in 1999. Oh, and… er… spoiler alert! Sorry, probably too late on that one.
The movie has an unexpected other partner – Julia Roberts is producing with her Red Om company, though we don’t think she’s taking a role. Mallory is also the subject of an upcoming Imax documentary, The Wildest Dream, which boasts Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and the late Natasha Richardson among its voice cast.