Captain Sir Tom Moore feature film to shoot in 2021
The biopic will focus on the life of the 100-year-old veteran, who raised £38.9 million for the NHS during lockdown.
Captain Sir Tom Moore's inspirational story will be adapted for the big screen, with production on the biopic set to start in 2021.
The World War II veteran made headlines during the pandemic after raising £38.9 million for the National Health Service by walking laps of his garden in the run-up to his 100th birthday.
Following a heated industry bidding war, Fred Films and Powder Keg Pictures acquired the rights to produce a film based on the life of Moore, who broke two Guinness World Records, achieved a number one hit single with his cover of You'll Never Walk Alone and was knighted by the Queen for his efforts.
The untitled biopic will focus on Moore's close relationship with his family and "explore how his strength, wisdom and humour changed the way they viewed the world" after the death of his wife.
The film will also touch on Moore's battle with skin cancer, his struggles with a broken hip which he was told meant he would never walk again, and the global media frenzy around his garden laps during lockdown which began as a means of rehabilitating his injury.
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Moore's military career and "how personal grief and the horrors of war shaped his life and inspired him to keep walking" will also be drawn on in the film.
Writers Nick Moorcroft (St Trinian's, Finding Your Feet) and Meg Leonard (Fisherman's Friends, Blithe Spirit) are penning the script, which is being fast-tracked for production next year, with Fred Films' James Spring producing alongside the pair.
"This is a story about the power of the human spirit and Captain Sir Tom personifies that," the screenwriters said in a joint statement. "We are honoured to be telling this unique and inspiring story and are excited about audiences getting to know the man behind the headlines."
Captain Sir Tom Moore commented on the news, saying in a statement: "I don't know of any 100-year-old actors but I'm sure Michael Caine or Anthony Hopkins could do a wonderful job if they were prepared to age up."
His daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, added that their family received many offers "but what it boiled down to was trust".
"The family are big fans of the films James, Meg and Nick have written and produced and we hope that our story connects with audiences in the same way their previous films have done," she added.
In May, ITV aired a documentary on Captain Sir Tom Moore and his role in World War II in commemoration of VE Day, in which he revealed that a near-fatal accident – resulting in broken ribs and a punctured lung – inspired his charity walk.
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