Hot on the heels of Kyle Gallner’s casting in the film last week, Disney has announced that another star has boarded its upcoming period drama The Finest Hours: Lone Survivor’s Ben Foster. The actor will now join Chris Pine and Casey Affleck in the true-disaster pic, which is to be helmed by Million Dollar Arm’s Craig Gillespie.
Set in 1952, the film charts the true tale of the Coast Guard’s valiant efforts to rescue the crew of two wayward oil tankers — the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer — caught amidst an unforgiving Nor’easter storm in the Atlantic ocean. Loosely based on Casey Cherman’s non-fiction novel, The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind the US Coast Guard’s Most Daring Rescue, the script will be penned by Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson — the creative duo behind 2010’s Oscar-winning drama, The Fighter.
In terms of Foster, the 33-year-old can be next seen in the untitled Lance Armstrong biopic — which will see him star as the shamed cyclist — before appearing in Duncan Jones’ bold venture into the realms of Azeroth for Warcraft.
Circling back to The Finest Hours, though, it’s understood that production is currently underway in Massachusetts, with a release planned for sometime in 2015. Plus, given the inspired subject matter coupled with the current casting list, Gallner could well have a future Oscar contender on his hands providing the film captures the spirit and bravery of the Coast Guard’s seemingly impossible rescue mission.
The Finest Hours is currently without a release date, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated with all the information pertaining to Disney’s true-disaster pic as it appears.
