Deadline is reporting tonight that Imperative Entertainment has recruited Bradley Cooper to star in Atlantic Wall for director Gavin O’Connor. Based on Zach Dean’s script, the WWII drama will be produced by Imperative’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas, along with Adam Kolbrenner.
The project is a hot one according to insiders, as the script made the Black List and has been buzzed about for a while now. From what we understand, Dean’s story follows an American paratrooper “stranded behind enemy lines hours before D-Day. His assignment is to deliver intelligence critical to the outcome of the war and he is compelled to fulfill a promise to protect the young son of a murdered ally.”
“We’re thrilled Imperative is bringing Atlantic Wall to life on screen with a talented filmmaker like Gavin,” Friedkin said. “Bradley’s phenomenal track record speaks for itself. He’s perfect to portray our complicated, often reluctant hero. We can’t imagine better creative partners.”
Having earned much praise for his role in American Sniper, Cooper is no stranger to war pics, and this one sounds like yet another meaty role for the actor, who’s currently gearing up to make his directorial debut on A Star Is Born. O’Connor, meanwhile, didn’t find much success with his most recent effort The Accountant, but has done some solid work in the past (Warrior and Pride and Glory) and will surely bring Atlantic Wall that sense of gritty realism that we’ve seen from him in prior efforts.
Deadline tells us that the film won’t start shooting until 2018, in order to give Cooper enough time to make A Star Is Born, but with an actor and director now set, expect the remaining pieces of Atlantic Wall to come together quickly as it barrels towards production.
