‘Alone at Dawn’: Adam Driver, Anne Hathaway to Lead Ron Howard’s Biographical War Drama!!

Ron Howard is bringing another remarkable true story to life, and he’s found the stars to make it happen. Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway have officially signed on to lead the Oscar-winner’s new military drama, Alone at Dawn, at Amazon MGM Studios. Based on the New York Times bestselling book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz, it will recount the heroic efforts of Air Force Combat Controller John Chapman, as he made his last stand alone to save over 20 of his Navy SEAL comrades during the Afghan War. Howard‘s film will also spotlight the efforts of an intelligence officer years later who spearheaded an investigation into the story to prove Chapman‘s valor and make him the first airman in nearly 50 years to earn a Medal of Honor.

Chapman had been a member of SEAL Team Six in Afghanistan when disaster struck and helicopters were downed. Just before dawn on March 4, 2002, he had led a desperate charge up the peak of a mountain in an effort to find a lost comrade, but suffered mortal wounds and lost consciousness during the assault. Believed to be dead, he was left by his fellow officers as they continued their push, only to awaken just in time to find himself beset by three groups of skilled enemy fighters. Chapman would continue to fight alone to ensure the safety of a rescue squad, a heroic effort in the face of death that would eventually begin a push to grant him the coveted Medal. While attempts to grant him the honor faced internal resistance, since it would mean the military would have to admit to leaving a man behind, he’d eventually get an updated Air Force Cross that reflected his sacrifice.

Driver is set to take on the role of Chapman, while Hathaway will play the officer who helped him earn his Medal of Honor. Attempts to bring Alone at Dawn to the screen have been ongoing since even before the book became a bestseller. Hideaway Entertainment won a heated bidding war for the rights to make a film after seeing the original manuscript from Schilling and Longfritz, the latter of whom is also Chapman‘s sister. Writing duties were then handed to Designated Survivor producer and Thai Cave Rescue co-creator and showrunner Michael Russell Gunn, with previous revisions done by Erin Cressida Wilson and Amy Herzog. Upon reading the story, Howard was swayed enough to come aboard as director, bringing his expertise for capturing the magnitude of incredible true stories, from Apollo 13 to Thirteen Lives, and his recent historical survival thriller, Eden.

Adam Driver Has Long Wanted a Project Like ‘Alone at Dawn’

Driver actually came aboard Alone at Dawn earlier this year, after Howard specifically circled him as his choice to play Chapman. A former Marine himself, the Oscar-nominated Star Wars veteran has reportedly long had an interest in a military/war project if the story was right, and quickly agreed to come aboard. It adds another high-profile film to his slate, with the Venice Golden Lion-winning anthology Father Mother Sister Brother from Jim Jarmusch set to hit theaters on Christmas Eve, and James Gray‘s new crime thriller Paper Tiger with Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller on the horizon. Hathaway might be even busier, as she’s currently filming The Devil Wears Prada 2 and has Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey, Flowervale Street, and the Colleen Hoover adaptation Verity all due for 2026.