Director Rupert Sanders (Ghost in the Shell) will helm the Vietnam war drama The Things They Carried, per a report from Collider. The film is based on the collection of short stories by Tim O’Brien, who based them on his own time spent as a soldier in the 23rd Infantry Division. One of O’Brien’s stories, Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, had been previously adapted into the 1998 Kiefer Sutherland vehicle A Soldier’s Sweetheart.
The war drama will follow a platoon of American soldiers on the front lines of the Vietnam War. The film is slated to start production on location in Vietnam this summer, as Sanders is working with casting director Carmen Cuba to fill the roles.
The script comes from Scott B. Smith (A Simple Plan), and David Zander (Spring Breakers) will produce for MJZ. Smith and Zander have previously collaborated on the indie thriller The Burnt Orange Heresy starring Claes Bang and Donald Sutherland.
Sanders’ first feature was the 2012 fairy tale-riff Snow White and the Huntsman, which starred Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron. Sanders had planned to re-team with Ghost in the Shell star Scarlett Johannson for the drama Rub & Tug, though the actress ultimately exited the project after receiving significant blowback from members of the trans community.
