Director Tim Van Patten is looking to take the helm of Disney’s The Finest Hours.  The film is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Casey Sherman and Michael Tougias that recounts the 1952 Coast Guard rescue mission to recover 84 men trapped in a deadly nor’easter blizzard. Two WWII oil tankers were ripped in half, leaving four halves of ship floating aimlessly through the storm carrying the disaster’s only survivors. The brave Coast Guard men set out on a suicide rescue mission, some on old wooden motorized lifeboats, in order to recover the lost seamen.  The Fighter scribes Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson were set to write the script last summer, but Variety’s report doesn’t specify whether Van Patten will perform a rewrite.

Van Patten is currently an executive producer and principal director on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and has previously helmed episodes of Game of Thrones, The Pacific, and The Wire.  He was one of the main directors on The Sopranos throughout the series run, helming the seminal season four episode “Whoever Did This,” so he has a fantastic resume that speaks to his potential as a film director.  Hit the jump to read the synopsis for The Finest Hours.

Disney has acquired the rights to the bestselling book The Finest Hours. Written by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias, the book recounts the 1952 Coast Guard rescue mission to recover 84 men trapped in a deadly nor’easter blizzard. Two WWII oil tankers were ripped in half, leaving four halves of ship floating aimlessly through the storm carrying the disaster’s only survivors. The brave Coast Guard men set out on a suicide rescue mission, some on old wooden motorized lifeboats, in order to recover the lost seamen.

Deadline reports that The Fighter scribes Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson have been set to write the screenplay, with Jim Whitaker (Rebirth) and Dorothy Aufiero (The Fighter) producing. It’s definitely a great story, and as long as it’s not treated like a Movie of the Week, The Finest Hours could make for a very good film. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the book.