Tom Hardy, Tye Sheridan Top An All-Star Cast In Vietnam Adaptation 'The Things They Carried'

A new star-driven war story has an amazing filmmaking pedigree behind it.

Tom Hardy, Tye Sheridan, Pete Davidson, Stephan James and Bill Skarsgard will round-out the adaptation of Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam War novel ‘The Things They Carried’. The independent film will be directed by Rupert Sanders (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) and will be penned by Scott B. Smith (‘A Simple Plan’). In addition to starring in the movie, Hardy will also be one of the producers.

O’Brien’s novel certainly has great potential to be a great Vietnam War feature. Published in 1990, ‘The Things They Carried’ is a linked series of stories that follows the Alpha Company platoon, a group of young soldiers sent to fight in the treacherous battlefields during the war. As they go from village to village, each soldier struggles to find a way through this physically and emotionally draining experience that will test their innocence, sanity and ability to survive the battle and each other. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and has even become a staple in High Schools across the country.

The idea of a Vietnam drama with this stellar cast of young actors and a talented writer is certainly something to be excited for. However, one question mark comes from the hiring of Sanders as a director. Known for big budget filmmaking like ‘Snow White’ and the live action adaptation of “Ghost in the Shell”, he isn’t really the first name that pops in your head over who should direct a challenging drama like this. Someone like Derek Cianfrance or Jeff Nichols who excel at independent dramas that are character driven but beautifully made would have been the better path to go.

That being said, it’s hard to judge this without a single frame of film being shot and whereas those two were big budget studio wannabe tentpoles, this is financed outside that system and if a company like A24 or Neon or one of the streamers picks it up, it is possible that Sanders will surprise and give us an unforgettable film that can rank alongside “Platoon”, “Apocalypse Now” and recently, “Da 5 Bloods”.

Apparently there are more roles to be filled out so this will be both a project to watch out for and garner multiple bids. And considering the cast so far, who knows what actors will join next?

‘The Things They Carried’ will begin shooting in Thailand at the beginning of 2021