Nick Schuyler and Jeré Longman’s bestselling nonfiction memoir Not Without Hope is looking to get its film adaptation back on track as Miles Teller (Whiplash, Top Gun: Maverick) has signed on to star in and produce the biographical thriller.
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Originally published in 2010, the novel told the true story of Schuyler as he set out with best friends Will Bleakley and NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith to Clearwater, Florida for a day trip to their favorite fishing spot 70 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. As they tried to pull anchor to escape an incoming storm, they found their boat capsized and submerged, throwing them off the boat into the freezing water, forced to try and survive on their own as the Coast Guard and sea rescue mission were halted by the storm. Though Schuyler was eventually rescued after 46 hours in the 60-degree waters, Bleakley, Cooper, and Smith lost their lives after succumbing to hypothermia.
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The film adaptation will be penned by E. Nicholas Mariani and helmed by Rupert Wainwright (Stigmata, The Fog) and executive produced by Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Grammy Award-winning songwriter and wife Ciara through their production banner Why Not You. Highland Film Group will be launching international sales at the upcoming virtual Cannes market while CAA Media Finance is set to handle domestic rights.
“We are very excited to help bring this inspiring true story to the big screen,” Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser said in a statement. “In today’s world of uncertainty, we definitely need feature films that are able to instill hope, courage and strength.“
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Alongside Teller for his banner Lime Tree Productions in his first producing credit, the film will be produced by Michael Jefferson of Volition Media Partners, Rick French of Prix Productions and Lucidity Entertainment’s Colin Bates, with James Dyer, Andrea Bucko, Wes Hull, Dave Lugo, and Goldfinch Entertainment’s Kirsty Bell attached to executive produce.
