Image via YouTube
Mount Everest, that rarely accessible destination on top of the world, will be the centerpiece of a new movie about George Mallory with Michael Sheen playing the famous climber.
Screen Daily's Geoffrey Macnab (h/t BBC News) reports the 46-year-old actor who has played such figures as Tony Blair and David Frost will next take upon the role of Mallory who attempted to scale the mountain in 1924.
As BBC News reminds, "Mallory was last seen near the summit with fellow climber Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine. His body was found in 1999."
The movie will be called In High Places, and it will be shot around the world in India, London and Cologne.
James McEachen is tabbed for writing and directing duties, but Macnab reports on other key roles in the upcoming movie: "Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) is attached to play Mallory's wife, Ruth, while Andrew Scott, best known for playing the villainous Moriarty in BBC drama series Sherlock, will play his friend and fellow climber Noel Odell."
Here is Sheen in the film Frost/Nixon:
McEachen relayed on what is something of a passion piece for the director: "I have been fascinated by George Mallory for as long as I can remember. That led directly to my own Himalayan climbs in the '90s, including leading an expedition to 27,766 foot Makalu in 1992."
It's those trips that gave the director a newfound respect for the men who embarked on those ill-fated adventures.
In this case, McEachen promises "an epic story about the uncompromising nature of character and the sometimes overwhelming power of dreams."
The 2010 documentary The Wildest Dream recounted this harrowing tale with a new journey to the top:
Hollywood will take another crack at a story that came to a close presumably 800 feet before Everest's iconic summit.
With a fantastic cast there is a great deal of hope that the upcoming retelling will do this unbelievable tale the justice it deserves.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
