Following a string of box office failures and an appearance on HBO’s True Detective, Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers, Couples Retreat) is joining the cast of Mel Gibson‘s Hacksaw Ridge. The film will will follow the story of Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector – someone who refuses to serve in the military because of moral or religious beliefs – to be awarded the Medal of Honor. .
Vaughn joins a cast that already includes Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man, The Social Network) and Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator Salvation). Garfield will play the role of Doss, a U.S. Army medic in the 307th Infantry, 77th Army Divison, 1st Batallion, Company B during World War II. The story will follow his path as he is recruited out of South Carolina and deployed to Japan, ultimately being awarded the Medal of Honor by President Truman for saving many lives as a medic. Doss is infamous for refusing to kill Japanese soldiers. Vaughn will play Sgt. Howell, a non-commissioned officer from Alabama who is tasked with getting incoming soldiers ready for the war.
This will be the first film directed by Mel Gibson (The Passion of Christ, Braveheart) since Apocalypto in 2006. Joining Gibson, Vince Vaughn hopes to recapture some of the luster worn off his career. In November Mel Gibson announced his involvement with the project, with Garfield then attached as the lead. The cast has begun to take form in the eight months since, with Vaughn as the most recent entry.
The film has tentative release date set for some time in 2017.