Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, AnnaSophia Robb and Carrie Underwood, in her big screen debut, will star in the independent drama Soul Surfer, about teen surfing champ and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton.
Being directed by Sean McNamara, the project marks country music star Underwood’s bigscreen debut.
The biopic, which started shooting this week in Hawaii, centers on the surf icon (Robb) who defied all odds to compete and win professional championships after losing her arm in a shark attack at age 13. Quaid and Hunt play Hamilton’s parents, and Underwood has taken on the role of a church youth leader.
McNamara, Deborah Schwartz, Douglas Schwartz and Michael Berk wrote the screenplay. Lorraine Nicholson and Kevin Sorbo round out the cast.
