Tom Hardy cast as legendary polar explorer in upcoming biopic
The Venom star will play Ernest Shackleton in a new survival thriller
Tom Hardy has been confirmed as the star of a new biopic focusing on the legendary polar explorer Ernest Shackleton.
The film, Shackleton, will reportedly take the form of a survival thriller, telling the story of a months-long journey that the explorer led following a disastrous Antarctic crash.
According to Variety, the script for the film will be penned by Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy writer Peter Struaghan, while Hardy will take the lead role - which had previously been linked to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Dean Baker, who runs a production company with Hardy, said of the film, “Tom and I were always fascinated by Shackleton as a leader and his contagious optimism and absolute belief in his team.
"At a time where leaders seem to be more about self than society, Shackleton sacrificed his own needs to ensure the wellbeing of his team – that’s inspirational.”
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This will not be the first time that Shackleton's life has been told on-screen, a TV version of his life story aired on Channel 4 in 2001 with Kenneth Brannagh in the lead role, earning both BAFTA and Emmy wins.
No announcements have yet been made regarding when the film might go into production or when a release date is likely.
Hardy's most recent film role was in Venom, in which he played the titular character - a role he is set to reprise in a sequel this year.
He is also set to star as Al Capone later this year in Fonzo, a biopic about the life of the notorious gangster.
