The cast of Mel Gibson’s upcoming war epic Hacksaw Ridge continues to grow, and the production officially added Luke Bracy to its already all-star call sheet.
Hacksaw Ridge portrays the true story of Desmond Doss, a solder in the Pacific Theater of World War II who became the first Conscientious Objector to ever win the Congressional Medal of Honor. According to Deadline, Bracey joins the cast as a character named Smitty: a chest beating, gung-ho American GI who serves as a direct foil to the pacifistic Doss. As the story unfolds, the carnage of battle peels away the layers of both of these men, and they begin to see that, for all their differences, they have just as many similarities. Beginning during their stateside basic training, the plot of Hacksaw Ridge will follow Smitty and Doss’s unit – the 77th Sustainment Brigade – as they ship out to face the horrors of war in the Battle of Okinawa.
Bracey has signed on to join the already impressive cast for the war epic. It includes Vince Vaughn, who portrays the officer tasked with whipping Doss and the rest of the Sustainment Brigade into shape, and Aussie actor Sam Worthington, of Avatar fame. Particularly in taking this role, Vaughn seems to be continuing his trend of increasingly dramatic work, which began with the most recent season of True Detective. Headlining the affair is former Spider-Man Andrew Garfield, who portrays Desmond Doss himself. While Mel Gibson has obviously used Hollywood actors in his films before, he has often kept the number of familiar faces and big names to a minimum. By comparison to his previous efforts in films like Apocalypto, Hacksaw Ridge is an absolutely star-studded affair.
At only 26-years-old, Luke Bracey most certainly qualifies as an up-and-comer. Despite his young age, he has kept busy over the last few years. Getting his big break as Cobra Commander in G.I Joe: Retaliation, he recently starred in The Best of Me, as well as November Man with Pierce Brosnan. Aside from the upcoming Hacksaw Ridge, he also finds himself set to fill Keanu Reeves’ shoes as Johnny Utah in the remake of the classic 1990’s action film Point Break.
With Luke Bracey officially on board, we will see if the newcomer can hold his own against Hacksaw Ridge’s heavy hitters when the film lands in theaters next year.
