The AFM, American Film Market, is taking place virtually due to the pandemic this year and today brought the announcement of an all-star project that has gained early attention at the event called The Things They Carried, a Vietnam war movie featuring an ensemble cast that includes Tom Hardy, Pete Davidson, Tye Sheridan, Stephan James, Bill Skarsgard, Ashton Sanders, Martin Sensmeier, Moises Arias, and Angus Cloud.
According to “Deadline”, casting on the film isn’t even completed yet so this pretty impressive ensemble of young talent could become even more stacked very shortly. The Things They Carried is based on Tim O’Brien’s acclaimed collection of stories about a platoon of young soldiers and their experiences on the front lines during the Vietnam War. The film is set to be helmed by Rupert Sanders with screenwriting duties coming from Oscar-nominated screenwriter Scott B. Smith. Shooting is expected to begin in early 2021 in Thailand.
O’Brien’s book won the 1990 National Book Critics Circle Award and has been named a New York Times Book of the Century. O’Brien, who Pulitzer Prize finalist, served in Vietnam in the late 1960s, and his experiences shaped the story of “The Things They Carried.” The book tells the story of the young men of Alpha Company, a platoon of soldiers sent to fight on the ground during the War. Trekking from village to village amidst chaos and confusion, the young men struggle to navigate a growing labyrinth of physical, mental, and emotional terrains as they battle for the survival of their sanity, innocence, and each other.
