Angelina Jolie is busy prepping her next directorial effort, Unbroken. The WWII tale recently had a re-write from the Coen Brothers and now, Jolie is looking to cast the lead role. Today, Deadline is reporting that Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, The Place Beyond The Pines) may star. He’s on a shortlist that includes Jack O’Connell (300: Rise Of An Empire) and newcomer Alexander Dreymon.
Based on Laura Hillenbrand’s bestseller Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, the film will tell the story of “Louis Zamperini, a former Olympian who endured medical experiments, slave labor, and brutal beatings as a Japanese POW during WWII.” Though he went through much suffering, Zamperini eventually turned to religion (after struggling with alcoholism) and was able to forgive his captors.
Unbroken has “awards” written all over it and with Jolie behind the camera, I have no doubt that top talent will be lining up to star in this one. DeHaan is a solid choice for the lead role and if Jolie does indeed decide to go with him, I’ll be very happy. I’ve enjoyed his work in everything he’s been in thus far and with projects like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 coming up, he’s certainly an actor with a very bright future ahead of him.
As for the other two names on the shortlist, admittedly, I’m not at all familiar with them so I can’t comment too much. I will say though that I’d be surprised if Jolie goes with anyone other than DeHaan.
What do you think of Dane DeHaan starring in Unbroken? Do you want to see him in the film? Let us know in the comments below.
