Dane DeHaan Circling Angelina Jolie's WWII Drama, 'Unbroken'

I was one of those who was very impressed by Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, although most seemed to pass it by without much of a thought. It was an ambitious opening move attempting to tell a competent wartime romance, and she pulled it off better than many with far more experience could have. Her next effort behind the camera, Unbroken, will be another harrowing story set during a time of global strife, and now Jolie is on the cusp of selecting a leading man.

Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) is among those vying for the lead role in the WWII drama, an adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand's book centered on Louis Zamperini. A former Olympian, Zamperini was captured by Japanese soldiers and endured harsh experiments and brutal tortures in a POW camp. He became the target of an especially sadistic guard whose mission it was to break Zamperini. When the war was over, Zamperini still suffered the effects of his imprisonment, became an alcoholic, but recovered and learned to forgive his captors. Also said to be contenders for the role are Jack O'Connell (300: Rise of an Empire) and a newcomer named Alexander Dreymon.

It wouldn't be fair to say that DeHaan is a fast-rising star at this point. Clearly he has already arrived after a string of strong of performances in Lawless, The Place Beyond the Pines, and this fall's Beat Generation drama, Kill Your Darlings. He's currently busy filming Marc Webb's sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man.

With the Coen Brothers giving the film a rewrite, and the awards-worthy material, Unbroken is sure to earn Jolie a lot of attention.