Universal options 'Unbroken'

Posted Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 9:55 AM Central

by John Couture

Universal Pictures is hoping that the second time is the charm when it comes to making a film about Louis Zamperini's life. Back in the late 1950s, Universal optioned the Zamperini story as a potential starring vehicle for Tony Curtis, but the project never got off the ground (no pun intended).

This week, Universal optioned the big screen rights to the Laura Hillenbrand best-seller Unbroken. The novel recounts the true story of Louis Zamperini from his rise to glory as the next big thing in American running at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin to his service as an Air Force bombardier in World War II.

I've read the book and it reads very much like a Hollywood screenplay. In fact, there are moments that are so unbelievable that I had to stop and actually remind myself that it is a true story. Perhaps the most compelling part of the story is just how much light it sheds on a dark corner of World War II that doesn't usually get a lot of attention.

I feel that I was extremely fortunate to have what I would consider a top-notch education, but I'll be honest, the only two events from the Pacific Rim theater of World War II that resonated with me before reading Unbroken was Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) and Hiroshima (August 6, 1945). That leaves almost a four year gap where most of our history books focus on Germany and the European front of the War.

The book was a real eye-opener to me personally and I only hope that the big screen adaptation will maintain the integrity of the events leading up to Hiroshima and Nagasaki that sadly get left out of most history classes. Sadly, I have a feeling that these events and the terrible acts of the Japanese military will be downplayed to focus on Zamperini's acts.

While the story of Louis Zamperini is surely one that needs to be told on the big screen, I think that his courage, perseverance and bravery would shine even greater when placed in the proper context. As I said, there are many moments that are unbelievable, but it's a true story and one that will certainly capture the heartstrings of audiences across the country.

As you may remember, Laura Hillenbrand previously wrote the book from which Universal made the movie Seabiscuit. I'm sure Universal will have another underdog hit on their hands when it comes out in 2013 or 2014.