An adaptation of famed photographer Ben Moon’s memoir Denali: A Man, a Dog, and the Friendship of a Lifetime is coming to the silver screen, with Spyglass Media Group recently acquiring the book’s rights according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film, simply titled Denali, will be directed by Max Winkler, who is also writing its screenplay. Charlie Hunnam is currently attached to star in the film, which will be produced under the Bona Fide Productions banner. Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger, who work for Bona Fide will also contribute as producers.
Denali first saw its debut as a short film in 2015 that was narrated by Moon’s dog as the titular character, following the unique tale of Moon’s cancer diagnosis through the perspective of his loyal dog, The eight-minute short was directed by Ben Knight, advertised by Patagonia and accumulated approximately 14.5 million views on Vimeo. It received universal praise and was honored at a plethora of film festivals following its release.
As a book, Denali was published by Penguin Random House in January 2020 and has been described as, “The story of a dog, his human, and the friendship that saved both of their lives.” Hunnam recently starred in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, which released in theaters in January pre-coronavirus.