Doug Liman to tackle Everest for Sony

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Doug Liman has had more hits (THE BOURNE IDENTITY, SWINGERS) than misses (JUMPER, and I would argue MR. AND MRS. SMITH), so it’s really anyone’s guess how his new project will turn out.

Sony has him set to direct EVEREST, which is an adaptation of the book Paths of Glory which chronicles George Mallory’s (pictured) three attempts to be the first man to climb Mount Everest in the 1920s. Deadline has a full description of his story below:

The film is about Mallory’s burning obsession to climb to the top of Mount Everest, and a rivalry with another great climber, Australian George Finch (the grandfather of actor Peter Finch) to get there first. While Everest has been scaled many times (though bodies are littered near the top of the summit of those who failed), the feat was symbolically important and for its time was akin to landing on the moon.

Great Britain had been decimated by WWI, there was poverty and angst and the nation needed a hero to rally around. Mallory became that hero, even as he was forced to return short of his goal on his first two attempts in 1921 and 1922. At the same time, he was a devoted husband and father, and his family wanted him home. After refusing to use oxygen to aid him in high altitude on the first two attempts, he and his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, changed tactics for their final run for the mountaintop in 1924. They were glimpsed near the top as they started the final approach to the top, but then disappeared in the clouds and were never heard from again.

Liman is an avid climber himself, and said to be highly interested in the Mallory story in particular. From what I can tell, it most definitely sounds like a solid concept for a film, and I’ll be curious to see who gets cast in the lead roles.