Thomas Vinterberg’s submarine survival drama Kursk is beginning to scope out a preliminary cast ahead of entering production later in the year, and Deadline reports that Kingsman: The Secret Service star Colin Firth has opened talks to land a lead role.
Should a deal fall into place, Firth will join Matthias Schoenaerts in the maritime adventure, one centering on a “nuclear-powered Russian submarine that sank during a training exercise in the Barents Sea in 2000. Twenty-three sailors survive the crash and desperately wait for help to arrive while their oxygen runs out minute-by-minute.”
Lifting inspiration from Robert Moore’s novel A Time To Die, Kursk has all the makings of an intense and visceral drama, adapting the author’s insightful account of the tragic accident – a dummy warhead sent the titular sub plunging to the depths – that occurred almost two decades ago when 100 crew members lost their lives. Robert Rodat will pen the script, and he certainly knows a thing or two about wrangling stories about real-life heroism after credits on Saving Private Ryan and The Patriot.
Exactly which role Colin Firth is in contention for remains to be seen, though it’s understood that production on Kursk is poised to get underway in the fall.
Beyond that, Firth has lined up a series of major roles across the board, with everything from Bridget Jones’ Baby to Michael Grandage’s Genius lining the actor’s slate. As a matter of fact, Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle is also in the cards, if the sequel’s teaser poster is to be believed.
