Breakout star Taron Egerton, known for his role in Kingsman as Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin, has signed onto A Private War. The film is a war thriller about the well-known war journalist Marie Colvin, in which Egerton will play a young journalist who works with Colvin. Deadline was the first to report the signing.
Marie Colvin’s story is one of intensity, absurdity, and inspiration. After joining the Sunday Times in the U.K. in 1985, she would begin her work as a war correspondent in a variety of extremely dangerous war zones across the world, including Chechnya, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka. She truly cared about bringing light to the people who could not speak out for help. While in Sri Lanka in 2001, she lost her sight in her left eye because of a RPG blast. After sustaining the injury, she began wearing what became her iconic eyepatch. In 2012, she was unfortunately killed in Syria from a artillery strike by what appeared to be from the Syrian army. She has left a legacy and is considered one of the best war correspondents in all of history.
Colvin will be played Rosamund Pike (Jack Reacher, Gone Girl), and the film will be directed by Matthew Heineman (City of Ghosts, Cartel Land). Arash Amel wrote the script based on a news article written by Marie Brenner titled Marie Colvin’s Private War. Production for the film should begin in November.