Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon are set to headline Black Label Media’s “Horse Soldiers,” TheWrap has learned.
The movie follows true-life story of a small band of U.S. special forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban.
Outnumbered 40 to one, they pursued the enemy army across the mountainous Afghanistan terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was strategically essential to defeat their opponent throughout the country.
Relative newcomer Nicolai Fuglsig is signed on to direct the film, which Peter Craig and Ted Tally adapted from New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton’s book “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan.”
The film will be co-financed by Black Label Media, which recently generated buzz for Damian Chazelle’s Ryan Gosling–Emma Stone musical “La La Land.”
Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill are producing along with Jerry Bruckheimer. Chad Oman is the executive producer.
Hemsworth is best known to audiences as Marvel Studios Thor and is currently in production on the third installment of the franchise “Thor: Ragnarok” down in Australia and has “Avengers: Infinity War” up next this fall in Atlanta at Pinewood Studios.
Shannon will next be seen in designer Tom Ford‘s “Nocturnal Animals” and is currently in production on “The Shape Of Water.”
Deadline first reported the news about Hemsworth and Shannon’s involvement.