Director Robert Zemeckis has agreed to helm Marwencol for Universal, according to Variety. The film will be based on the 2010 documentary of the same name and though no actors are officially attached, the studio currently has their eye on none other than Leonardo DiCaprio.
Penned by frequent Tim Burton collaborator Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride), the film will tell the true story of Mark Hogancamp, who slipped into a coma after being attacked outside a bar. When we awoke several days later, he had no recollection of anything in his life. In order to help overcome this setback, he goes about re-constructing a 1/6 scale model of the tiny town of Marwencol, a World War-II era Belgian village.
Zemeckis’ film will be a narrative adaptation that will “move between and blend fantasy and reality.” Sounds like an interesting take on the material that could work out well in the hands of a capable director like Robert Zemeckis.
Admittedly, I haven’t seen the original documentary and this is actually the first I’m hearing of Mark Hogancamp, but I’m definitely intrigued. Plus, with a strong talent like DiCaprio (or someone of his equivalent) in the lead role, this project could very well shape up to be an awards contender, especially with subject material like this.
As of now, only Zemeckis is signed on. We’ll be sure to keep you posted though when and if DiCaprio hops on board as well.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check out Marwencol on Netflix.
