According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast, Legion) is joining Harrison Ford (Blade Runner 2049, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) in the new Call of the Wild movie. Stevens will next be seen in the film Apostle, the Netflix thriller directed by Gareth Evans (The Raid).
Ford will play John Thornton, a prospector braving the Yukon on the hunt for gold. 20th Century Fox is behind the adaptation, which is based on the Jack London novel published in 1903. The novel focuses on the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s from the point of view of a sled dog named Buck.
The big-budget live-action film is being directed by Oscar nominee Chris Sanders (The Croods, How to Train Your Dragon) from a screenplay by Oscar nominee Michael Green (Logan, American Gods).
Erwin Stoff (The Matrix, 13 Hours) will produce alongside co-producer Ryan Stafford (War for the Planet of the Apes). Diana Pokorny (Downsizing, Daddy’s Home) will serve as executive producer with Steve Asbell overseeing the feature for Fox. The outlet notes that the project will rely heavily on the special effects studio Technoprops, purchased by Fox last year.
Production on the Call of the Wild movie will begin this September. Previous adaptations of the film include the Clark Gable led 1935 version and the 1972 film starring Charlton Heston, with a number of other movies and TV specials inspired by the classic story.
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
