Universal has released a new Unbroken featurette online.  Directed by Angelina Jolie, the film tells the true (and incredible) story of Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), a former Olympian and WWII bombardier whose plane crashed at sea in 1943.  Zamperini and two crewmates floated adrift for 47 days and 2000 miles, eventually finding themselves caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a POW camp where Zamperini was targeted by a sadistic overseer.  As this featurette explains, a movie based on Zamperini’s incredible story was in the works long before Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 book, which is the source material for Jolie’s film.

Hit the jump to watch the Unbroken featurette, and click here for Steve’s interview with Jack O’Connell, who plays Zamperini.  The film opens December 25th, and also starts Domhnall GleesonGarrett Hedlund, Jai Courtney, Finn Wittrock, Alex Russell, John Magaro and Luke Treadaway.

Via Universal.

Here’s the official synopsis for Unbroken:

Academy Award® winner Angelina Jolie directs and produces Unbroken, an epic drama that follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis “Louie” Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII—only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. Adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s (“Seabiscuit: An American Legend”) enormously popular book, Unbroken brings to the big screen Zamperini’s unbelievable and inspiring true story about the resilient power of the human spirit.

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