Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell to star in the WWII drama “Overlord”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Paramount Pictures and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot have signed “Fences” actor Jovan Adepo and Wyatt Russell to star in the World War II drama “Overlord”, Variety said.

The film is directed by Julius Avery (“Son of a Gun”), and produced by Abrams and Lindsey Weber through Bad Robot. The script is written by Billy Ray (“Captain Phillips”) and Mark L. Smith (“The Revenant”).

The movie takes place in 1944 on the eve of D-Day and centers on a group of American paratroopers, who are dropped behind enemy lines to carry out a mission crucial to the invasion’s success. But as they approach their target, they begin to realize there’s more going on in the Nazi-occupied village than a simple military operation. “Overlord” will begin shooting this May in the U.K.

Adepo starred in “Fences” as Cory Maxson, the son of the characters played by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. He is a series regular on HBO’s “The Leftovers.”

Russell — Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn’s son — recently starred in “Black Mirror” and Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some!!” He will topline the AMC series “Lodge 49,” and will also appear in “Folk Hero & Funny Guy,” “Goon 2,” “Blaze,” and “Ingrid Goes West,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Ray received a best adapted screenplay Academy Award nomination for “Captain Phillips.” He also adapted “The Hunger Games.”