Luke Bracey (The November Man, The Best of Me) has signed on to star in actor turned director Mel Gibson’s latest, the true World War II tale, Hacksaw Ridge. Deadline has the news, reporting that Luke Bracey will join stars Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn and Sam Worthington in the story of Corporal Demond Doss, the first conscientious objector to receive the US congressional Medal of Honor.
Doss, who will be played by Garfield, was drafted into World War II at age 23. Raised a Seventh-day Adventist, he refused to kill or carry a weapon and, as such, became stationed as a medic. President Harry S. Truman presented Doss with his commendation on November 1, 1945, citing numerous acts of bravery and sacrifice performed by Doss in the line of duty.
Hacksaw Ridge is scripted by Robert Schenkkan and Randall Wallace, the latter of whom worked with Gibson on Braveheart. The center of the story is likely to focus on 1945’s three-month military assault Operation Iceburg, also known as the Battle of Okinawa. “Hacksaw Ridge” was the name given the location of a particularly brutal two-week confrontation wherein United States troops faced off against Japanese soldiers on the rocky cliffs of Okinawa.
Luke Bracey, who can next be seen in Warner Bros. Pictures’ Point Break remake, will play a member of Doss’ platoon by the name of Smitty. Described in the original story as being a “hard-nosed alpha dog,” Smitty nevertheless manages to form a close bond with Doss.
Terry Benedict, Bill Mechani, Steve Longi and David Permut are all attached to produce Hacksaw Ridge, which is set up at Lionsgate and plans to shoot in Australia.
Point Break, meanwhile, lands in theaters December 25.
