Sam Worthington and Jason Clarke have joined the cast of First Warrior, an upcoming drama that will follow the journey of an Aboriginal resistance fighter, according to Variety. The project will be rooted deep into the history of Australia. The main character, called Pemulwuy, hasn’t been cast yet. But the man’s journey to bring freedom to his community will be the emotional hook of the story, directed by Warwick Thornton. The director of First Warrior is one of Australia’s most talented filmmakers. Thornton‘s heritage makes him the perfect choice to tackle Pemulwuy’s quest, giving audiences a look at how the resistance fighter’s legacy changed history.
Alongside his role in First Warrior, Sam Worthington can’t get enough of the world of Pandora. The actor returned as Jake Sully in Avatar: The Way of Water, the sequel that expanded upon what the character did on the distant moon after establishing his family with Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). Worthington is set to play the role once again in Avatar: Fire and Ash. The new sequel’s title was revealed during this year’s edition of D23. When he isn’t playing a massive blue alien, Worthington can be seen in recent titles such as Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 and The Exorcism.
Before signing on to star in First Warrior, Jason Clarke had a resurgence thanks to his role as Jerry West in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. The HBO drama following the titular basketball team through their prime also featured performances from John C. Reilly and Molly Gordon. Clarke also recently starred as Roger Robb in Oppenheimer, the acclaimed drama directed by Christopher Nolan that made a statement during this year’s Academy Awards.
Who Is Writing ‘First Warrior’?
First Warrior will be a thrilling story that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats with Pemulwuy’s choices, which is why That’s-A-Wrap Productions needed a talented team to bring it to life on the screen. The screenplay for the project was written by Stuart Beattie, who earned plenty of awards nominations thanks to his work on Collateral. Beattie also worked on the screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Phillip Noyce and Shana Levine will also work on the script for First Warrior. In the near future, viewers will get to learn why Pemulwuy was such an important figure for the Bidjigal tribes.
A release date for First Warrior hasn’t been set by the studio. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates. You can watch Worthington in Avatar on Disney+.
via Collider