Jake Gyllenhaal to topline, produce WWII film “The Lost Airman”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Jake Gyllenhaal is teaming with John Lesher for The Lost Airman, a true-life World War II adventure project, The Hollywood Reporter reveals.

Amazon Studios has picked up the rights to the nonfiction book, titled The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape From Nazi-Occupied France and written by Seth Meyerowitz.

Gyllenhaal is attached to star in the project and will produce with Riva Marker, his partner at the duo’s Nine Stories banner. Lesher will produce through his Le Grisbi Productions.

Based on recently declassified materials, the book tells the incredible true story of Arthur Meyerowitz, an American turret-gunner whose B-24 bomber was shot down over Vichy France in 1943. While hiding in the French countryside, Meyerowitz befriended Marcel Talliander, the founder of the legendary French resistance group Morhange, who helped shelter the man from the Gestapo through his secret network. After six months of barely evading capture, Meyerowitz escaped through a carefully orchestrated plan that also involved R.F.W. Cleaver, one of the most accomplished British fighter pilots of the war.

Seth Meyerowitz, Anthony Mattero of Foundry Literary Media and Dan Bodansky of Dixon Talent will serve as executive producers.

Lesher, who won an Oscar for producing Birdman (along with Alejandro G. Inarritu and James Skotchdopole), is currently in production on White Boy Rick, a drug drama starring Matthew McConaughey.

Gyllenhaal next appears in Bong Joon-ho’s much-buzzed-about environmental adventure movie Okja, which bows June 28 on Netflix. He also has Boston marathon drama Stronger in postproduction. The movie, which is set to open Sept. 22, is the first feature produced by Nine Stories.