The pivotal World War II Battle of Dunkirk is getting the big screen treatment.  Deadline reports that Oliver Parker (Johnny English Reborn, The Importance of Being Earnest) is attached to direct Dunkirk, a feature film iteration of the events surrounding the titular event.  The story centers on how British civilians, men, and women used small boats to cross the English Channel and rescue hundreds of thousands of British and French troops from the advancing Germans. The 1940 event gave a major boost to the morale of the British forces and should make for a compelling and inspiring feature film.  The aftermath of Dunkirk was memorably captured on film by director Joe Wright in a sweeping and epic single take in the 2007 film Atonement. 

The script was written on spec by Gavin Scott (War and Peace, Small Soldiers) and was recently acquired by Working Title UK.  No word on how soon production might begin.  Hit the jump to watch a featurette documenting how the Dunkirk scene was created in Atonement.