Sylvester Stallone will direct and act alongside Adam Driver in an adaptation of Travis Mills’ memoir of surviving a bomb blast in Afghanistan…
It was easy to forget until his resurgence with the critically-acclaimed Creed that Sylvester Stallone has also been a savvy multi-tasker: he was Oscar-nominated for writing the film that also kickstarted his acting career, Rocky. He went on to direct Rocky II, III, IV, Staying Alive and The Expendables. In the wake of Creed it’s clear he’s enjoyed looking into more such double-whammy duties and his next project will see him direct and act alongside Adam Driver (Girls, Star Wars:The Force Awakens).
Industry-site Deadline reports that Stallone is adapting Tough as They Come, the 2015 memoir of Travis Mills, an United States Army staff sergeant who amazingly survived improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, but suffered the loss of all four limbs. The book deals with the aftermath and the help he got from his family during his rehabilitation as he learns to walk again – and even dance, cycle, drive and swim. Driver plays Mills while Stallone will play a pivotal role as Mills’ father-in-law Craig Buck.
This is somewhat new territory for Stallone whose work has often contained something of an overt action element. This will essentially be a family-drama though it reflects the kind of ‘personal battle’ element that has run through Stallone’s work to date.
There’s few details beyond that about the project as yet – it is getting interest from studios with an eye to filming later this year. The news comes just a few weeks after Stallone turned down an offer from US President-Elect Donald Trump for a senior position with the National Endowment of the Arts with the actor/director citing that he felt he would be much more influential and effective by ‘… bringing national attention to returning military personnel in an effort to find gainful employment, suitable housing and financial assistance these heroes respectfully deserve…‘
Marine-trained Driver has also been involved in similar initiatives to help returning soldiers.
