Another movie about Mount Everest is on the way, with Ewan McGregor, Sam Heughan, and Mark Strong set to star. From director Doug Liman, Everest will tell the story of George Mallory, an English mountaineer who embarked on the first three British attempts to climb the infamous Mount Everest — nearly 30 years before the legendary mission of Edmund Hillary.
Screenwriter Sheldon Turner will adapt Everest from worldwide bestselling author Jeffrey Archer’s novel, Paths of Glory, which details Mallory’s climbing attempts and the events leading up to them. Liman will produce the film alongside Jennifer Klein, and collaborate with cinematographer Mark Ruhe, Oscar-winning musician T Bone Burnett, and production designer Oliver Scholl, among others. HanWay Films will distribute the film internationally.
Klein released a statement about her excitement regarding the film.
“We are thrilled to be working with HanWay Films in telling this important and timeless story. Bringing Everest to screen is more relevant now than ever. In this period of uncertainty, a story of true determination, passion and positivity can help remind us of what we can overcome.”
Everest is treading well-worn ground with this adaptation, especially considering a film of the same name hit theaters in 2015, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, and Josh Brolin. While the incredible human feat of climbing the mountain is always compelling, it will be interesting to see how, if at all, Everest’s marketing campaign attempts to differentiate itself from the 2015 film.
However, Liman and McGregor could be a perfect pairing to tackle such an adrenaline-fueled story. Aside from his flair for shooting incredible, visceral action sequences, Liman describes himself as a “climbing nut.” McGregor is also well-known for his love of adventures and exploration, as seen on his escapades with his longtime friend Charley Boorman in the television shows: Long Way Round, Long Way Down, and Long Way Up.
Gabrielle Stewart of HanWay Films commented on the pairing of Liman and McGregor, as well as the great mystery at the heart of the production.
"Liman and McGregor are passionate adventurers both in life and filmmaking, and this film asks one of the great unresolved questions of the Everest story: was Mallory the first to make it to the top 30 years before [Edmund] Hillary? It would not surprise me if in the wake of this film, and as we approach the centenary of Mallory's life-taking climb, this great mystery would lead us to one of great discovery.”
Everest will begin filming in the UK and Italy in January 2022.
Check out the full synopsis for the film below:
“1921. Everest remains the very last great unconquered challenge on earth. Many have sacrificed their sanity and often their lives in the attempt to reach its fabled summit. George Mallory (McGregor) is picked by the arrogant Arthur Hinks (Strong) of the Royal Geographic Society to scale the impossible. Following the First World War, the fading British empire is desperate for a restorative victory, but for Mallory and his rival, the eccentric Aussie George Finch (Heughan), the challenge of Everest has nothing to do with patriotism, instead it is a singular test of self.
Climbing without oxygen, to heights not even planes can reach, Mallory‘s successive attempts to make the summit sees a challenge become an all-consuming obsession. It leads him to abandon his beloved wife and three children for months on end, give up his job, and push his body to the limits of human endurance. Everest becomes a very real monster for Mallory, his 45 degree climb to the peak is an inhuman mix of vertigo and nerve-shredding tension, requiring all of his fearlessness and audacity. It takes everything from him for reasons he can barely articulate: because it’s grander than him, it’s the last empty part of the map, and as he simply puts it - ‘because it’s there.’”