One of actor James Wolk‘s next roles will bring him to the 1936 Olympics. According to Deadline, Wolk has been cast in the upcoming film The Boys in the Boat.
The film tells the story of the University of Washington’s men’s rowing team during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. During the time, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were in charge of Germany, and hoped to show off the German teams’ victories to the rest of the world. The team surprised many and ended up winning the gold medal. The film will also follow the lower-middle-class team as they also deal with getting through college during the Great Depression, and how they came together as a team. Wolk will play Coach Bolles in the film. Wolk‘s previous work includes 2016’s Mercy (directed by Chris Sparling), 2015’s This Is Happening (directed by Ryan Jaffe), and 2014’s There’s Always Woodstock (directed by Rita Merson). Joining Wolk in the film will be Joel Edgerton as Coach Ulbrickson. Courtney Henggeler will also appear in the film as Hazel, Coarch Ulbrickson’s wife. The film will also star Callum Turner, Jack Mulhern, Sam Strike, Luke Slattery, Thomas Elms, Tom Varey, Bruce Herbelin-Earle, Wil Coban, and Hadley Robinson.
George Clooney will direct the film. His previous directing work includes 2021’s The Tender Bar, 2020’s The Midnight Sky, and 2017’s Suburbicon. Clooney will also be a producer for the film. He was going to direct the film earlier, but had to wait after accepting to direct The Tender Bar. Mark L. Smith will write the film’s screenplay. Smith’s previous writing work includes The Midnight Sky, 2018’s Overlord (directed by Julius Avery), and 2015’s The Revenant (directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu). Chris Weitz also wrote a previous draft of the script. The film is based on the 2013 book The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. The book went on to become a New York Times bestseller. Smoke House Pictures‘ Grant Heslov will be a producer for the film. SpyGlass will executive produce the film. The film will also be produced by MGM. A previous film adaptation of the book was announced in 2011, which was going to be directed by Kenneth Branagh and produced by The Weinstein Company.
No official release date has been announced for when The Boys in the Boat will be released. In the meantime, fans can watch Wolk in the series Ordinary Joe, which is currently available to stream on Peacock.
via Collider