The best naval disasters come in pairs, so it wasn’t terribly surprising when we reported on a movie about the Nazi battleship Bismarck right on the heels of Warner Bros.’ announcement that it was making a film about the USS Indianapolis. But naval disasters are even better when the pair is based on the same event, so now comes word that there will be a second movie based on that latter ship: Variety reports that Nicolas Cage will be starring in a film about the tragic fate of the USS Indianapolis.
USS Indianapolis: Men Of Courage has been in development at Hannibal Classics for five years, during which time the studio consulted with survivors, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Cage will star as Captain Charles Butler McVay, the man who was court-martialed after the ship was torpedoed, then exonerated more than 50 years later. It will be directed by Mario Van Peebles, who also acted in Jaws: The Revenge and therefore knows a thing or two about disasters involving sharks. The producers have announced plans to construct a 500,000 gallon water tank, though it’s not yet confirmed whether the tank will simply be holding Cage’s collection of wigs.
The film is scheduled to be released on Memorial Day weekend in 2016. In the meantime, Hannibal Classics will be eagerly rushing to its computer to post “FIRST!” in the comments section of any story about the competing USS Indianapolis movie.