Gyllenhaal, Hawkes, Brolin & Clarke Set To Take On ‘Everest’

Casting for Baltasar Kormakur’s adventure thriller EVEREST has been given a boost today with the rumours that Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes, Josh Brolin and Jason Clarke are all in talks to star in the project.  Christian Bale has previously been rumoured to be on board and if these actors all confirm that is going to make one heck of an expedition team.

Jason Clarke has been in demand since his break out role in ZERO DARK THIRTY; just last week it was announced he was set to join the Ridley Scott co-produced CHILD 44.  He also has Abraham Lincoln biopic THE GREEN BLADE RISES due to hit screens later this year and DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES currently in production.  Gyllenhaal will be a predominant feature of the September/October box offices with two films due out; ENEMY and PRISONERS, both of which pair him with director Dennis Villeneuve.

Don’t get confused by the ‘other’ EVEREST due for release in 2014; director Doug Liman (JUMPER) follows Tom Hardy as British climber George Mallory who makes several attempts to climb the mountain in the 1920’s. The story behind Kormakur’s EVEREST, which tells of the real life disastrous expeditions to scale Mount Everest in 1996, has already been on the big screen in the form of 1996’s INTO THIN AIR starring Richard Jenkins, Nathaniel Parker and Peter Horton. It is based on the best-selling book by Jon Krakauer, an American writer and mountaineer, who also wrote the book adapted by Sean Penn into 2007’s INTO THE WILD which was nominated for two Oscars.

Shooting is expected to begin in November with a 2014 release date penciled in.

Source: Deadline