Actor Jake Gyllenhaal will star in and produce "The Lost Airman," the true tale of an Army Air Corps member who evaded Nazi capture for six months after his B-24 Liberator bomber crashed over occupied France on the last day of 1943, The Hollywood Reporter reported earlier this week.

Gyllenhaal ("Jarhead," "Brokeback Mountain," "Source Code") will portray Arthur Meyerowitz, whose World War II survival story was told by his grandson, Seth Meyerowitz, in "The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape from Nazi-Occupied France." Amazon Studios has acquired movie rights to the book, THR reported, and Gyllenhall will produce the film along with John Lesher ("Birdman") and Riva Marker.

Seth Meyerowitz researched his grandfather's story for more than four years before the book was published in early 2016. He's chronicled many of the details online, including statements from his grandfather, scans of false identification papers used to evade capture, and maps outlining his grandfather's journey. A full, illustrated timeline of Arthur Meyerowitz's service, and his escape, is available here.

The airman parachuted into France (in the Cognac region, near Lesparre on the west coast) on Dec. 31, 1943, crossed into Spain at the end of May 1944 and reached Gibraltar, and eventual rescue, in mid-June. 

Seth Meyerowitz will serve as an executive producer of the film, THR reported.

Share:
In Other News
Load More