Paul Walker’s brother, Cody Walker, is starring alongside Nicolas Cage in the World War II movie “USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage.”
This marks the first major role for Cody Walker, who replaced his late brother in “Furious 7” after he was killed in a 2013 car crash. Tom Sizemore, Thomas Jane, Matt Lanter and Brian Presley round out the cast.
Mario Van Peebles is directing from a script by Cam Cannon and Hannibal Classics principal Richard Rionda Del Castro. Producers are Rionda Del Castro and Michael Mendelsohn of Patriot Pictures, who are also financing “Men of Courage.”
Saban Films acquired U.S. rights during Cannes. The film has not yet been scheduled for release.
Ness Saban and Saban Films president Bill Bromiley will exec produce, along with Patricia Eberle, Timothy Patrick Cavanaugh, Dama Claire, Jamal Hanan and Mariusz Lukomski.
Cage is playing the role of Capt. Charles Butler McVay, whose ship was torpedoed in the South Pacific in July 1945, after delivering parts for the first atomic bombs. Their mission was classified, so the Indianapolis was not reported missing until four days later.
Cody Walker is playing one of the crewmen. Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship, while the rest faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks as they waited for assistance.
Only 317 sailors survived, and McVay was court-martialed, then exonerated more than half a century later.
Cody Walker is represented by Paradigm and Luber Roklin.
The news was first reported by Deadline.
