Tom Hardy Is Making A Historical War Movie
In what looks to be one of the most exciting ensemble films announced in some time, Tom Hardy will star in an upcoming Vietnam War film.
In what looks to be one of the most exciting ensemble films announced in some time, Tom Hardy will star – along with an impressive cast – in an upcoming Vietnam War film.
Deadline announced that Tom Hardy will be amongst an incredible cast of actors for The Things They Carried. The Vietnam War film is based on the Tim O’Brien short story collection of the same name. In addition to Hardy, The Things They Carried will include Moises Arias (Ender’s Game), Angus Cloud (Euphoria), Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island), Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk), Ashton Sanders (Moonlight), Martin Sensmeier (2016’s The Magnificent Seven), Tye Sheridan (Mud), and Bill Skarsgard (The Devil All the Time).
The Things They Carried will be directed by Rupert Sanders, who previously directed 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman and 2017’s Ghost in the Shell. The adaptation is being written by Scott B. Smith, who was Oscar-nominated for this 1998 film, A Simple Plan, and will be acting showrunner of the upcoming series The Peripheral, alongside Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. With a cast starring Tom Hardy and an impressive team making the film, The Things They Carried has a lot of promise going for it.
The Things They Carried is based on Tim O’Brien’s own experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War. The book was released in 1990 and has since sold over 2 million copies worldwide. The Things They Carried was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as for the Pulitzer Prize. While The Things They Carried is a collection of short stories, a fictional version of Tim O’Brien is the narrator and the protagonist. It’s unsure if Tom Hardy will be playing O’Brien, platoon leader Lt. Jimmy Cross, or some other character.
Tom Hardy’s version of The Things They Carried isn’t the first adaptation of Tim O’Brien’s short story collection. In 1998, O’Brien’s story “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong” was adapted into the TV movie A Soldier’s Sweetheart starring Kiefer Sutherland. Several of the book’s short stories have been adapted into various stage plays and the 2014 song “Pantyhose” by the band TV Girl is based on the chapter “Stockings.”
Tom Hardy last appeared in this year’s Capone, Josh Trank’s story about the gangster as he starts suffering from dementia. Hardy will also likely next be seen in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which is currently in post-production and planned for a June 25, 2021 release.
But in addition to The Things They Carried, Tom Hardy has some interesting projects still on the way. While his FX series Taboo premiered in 2017, the show is still awaiting its second season. Hardy is also attached to War Party, a film about Navy SEALS from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford director Andrew Dominik. However, there hasn’t been an update on War Party since 2017.
Also even more uncertain is Tom Hardy’s involvement in George Miller’s upcoming Mad Max sequels. While it seems unlikely that Hardy will appear in Miller’s Furiosa spin-off, which takes place years before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road, Miller is also supposedly working on Mad Max: The Wasteland, of which Hardy is currently signed on for.
While it doesn’t seem like the production of a new James Bond film would interfere with the production of The Things They Carried, Tom Hardy has also long been one of the most rumored actors to take over the role of 007. With Daniel Craig stepping down, Hardy has often been theorized as a great replacement for the spy with a license to kill, alongside such other possible actors as Henry Cavill, Tom Hiddleston, and the continued optimism of an Idris Elba casting. Hardy could still be in consideration, however, we likely won’t know until after No Time to Die premieres on April 2, 2021.
Tom Hardy will also be producing The Things They Carried as well as starring, and the production is currently slated to begin an early 2021 shoot in Thailand. While it’s not clear when the film is scheduled for release or if it will be a theatrical or streaming release, The Things They Carried is planned on being presented soon to buyers at the American Film Market.
