It's always exciting to hear about exciting films launching with an explosive start, and this article is about one of those cases. Author Tim O'Brien's book The Things They Carried has been celebrated for decades as one of the great works about the experience of being on the ground during the Vietnam War, and now a movie adaptation is coming together with a brilliant cast and some very talented people behind the camera.
News about the adaptation of The Things They Carried comes to us from Deadline, which says that the project has already attracted some incredible performers to join the ensemble cast, including Tom Hardy, Pete Davidson, Tye Sheridan, Stephan James, Ashton Sanders, Bill Skarsgard, Moises Arias, Angus Cloud, and Martin Sensmeier. As noted by the trade, that's one hell of a lineup for a non-studio production, though Hardy's involvement in particular makes sense given that his production company, Hardy Son & Baker, is behind the project.
The Things They Carried was first published in 1990, and is a collection of short stories following a platoon of young American soldiers deployed during the Vietnam War. O"Brien himself served during the conflict, and his experiences fuel what is a mix of autobiographical memoir and fiction in the book. In the author's own words, "In many cases a true war story cannot be believed... In other cases you can't even tell a true war story. Sometimes it's just beyond telling."
The book earned instant acclaim upon release, and both won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was given the distinction of being a New York Times Book of the Century. One of the short stories, specifically "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," was previously adapted as a film called A Soldier's Sweetheart in 1998. The film starred Kiefer Sutherland and Skeet Ulrich, but it was never released in theaters domestically.
Rupert Sanders, who last directed the Ghost In The Shell adaptation starring Scarlett Johansson, is helming the film, and the script is being penned by Scott B. Smith, who is best known for writing Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan (both the novel it's based on and the adaptation).
With The Things They Carried still in early stages, we presently don't know about any of the roles that will be played by the actors who have already signed on, but what should make fans of the book even more excited about the adaptation is that apparently this is only the first wave of casting news. According to the trade, the film isn't done filling out its ensemble, and one can imagine that the excitement that will be generated by this initial news should help it get even more talented people involved.
Stay tuned for future updates about the project here on CinemaBlend!
