‘Shackleton’: Tom Hardy To Play The Famous Polar Explorer In New Biopic
Tom Hardywill soon return to the big screen as Eddie Brock in a sequel to his 2018 hitVenom, but he’s also planning to head south in a new survival thriller. Hardy will star in a biopic of Ernest Shackleton, the legendary polar explorer who, after a disastrous crash in the Antarctic, led his expedition on a months-long journey to safety.Shackletonhas been kicking around Hollywood for a while – last we heard, itwas being set upas a reunion between Leonardo DiCaprio andThe Revenantwriter Mark L. Smith. But that was several years ago, and the project has gone through some changes since then. NowVarietysaysTinker Tailor Soldier SpywriterPeter Straughanis tackling the script, and DiCaprio’sThe Revenantco-star Hardy will star in the biopic instead. It’s unclear exactly how much of Shackleton’s life will appear on screen, but his most famous adventure is bound to appear in the story. FromWikipedia:
Shackleton was an impressive leader in extreme circumstances, reportedly going as far as to give his own mittens to one of his men; that decision ultimately ended with him getting frostbite in his fingers. ProducerDavid Heyman, who has bothOnce Upon a Time in HollywoodandMarriage Storyvying for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars, will produce the movie through his Heyday Films, while Hardy andDean Bakerwill produce through their production company, Hardy Son & Baker.
“Tom and I were always fascinated by Shackleton as a leader and his contagious optimism and absolute belief in his team,” Baker said in a statement toVariety. “At a time where leaders seem to be more about self than society, Shackleton sacrificed his own needs to ensure the wellbeing of his team – that’s inspirational.”
A potentially interesting note: Shackleton was Irish, so I wonder if Hardy will make the choice to adopt an Irish accent here. He’s an actor who always catches flack for doing odd, occasionally unintelligible voices, but I look forward to seeing if that trend continues.
StudioCanal is fully financing the movie, but it’s still in the early stages as Straughan continues to work on the screenplay.
