“Furious 7’s” Vin Diesel and “Rush Hour’s” Chris Tucker are nearing deals to co-star in Ang Lee‘s next movie “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” TheWrap has learned.
Newcomer Joe Alwyn stars as the title character alongside Garrett Hedlund, Steve Martin and Kristen Stewart, who will play Billy Lynn’s older sister, as TheWrap first reported.
Based on the bestselling novel by Ben Fountain, the story follows 19-year-old Texas-born infantryman Billy Lynn and his fellow U.S. servicemen who survive a firefight in Iraq in 2005. The Bush administration brings the veterans home for a victory lap that leads them to the Dallas Cowboys’ football stadium where they’re honored during the team’s Thanksgiving halftime show before they return to war in Iraq.
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Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8 and Chinese distribution company Bona Film Group are onboard alongside TriStar and Film4. The film will feature state-of-the-art high frame rate technology, and production is slated to start this month.
Simon Beaufoy, who won an Oscar for writing “Slumdog Millionaire,” adapted the book for Film4 and The Ink Factory. The film will be produced by Marc Platt and Ink Factory’s Stephen Cornwell, Rhodri Thomas and Simon Cornwell, as well as Lee.
Also Read: 10 Top Vin Diesel Quotes From the ‘Fast and Furious’ Franchise (Video)
Diesel is no stranger to movies about soldiers, having co-starred in Steven Spielberg’s epic “Saving Private Ryan.” He currently stars in “Furious 7,” which has been breaking box office records since it opened last week.
Tucker was last seen starring opposite Bradley Cooper in David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook.”
Diesel is represented by CAA, while WME reps Tucker.
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