Oscar winning actor, Christian Bale, and Oscar-nominated actor Oscar Issac are set to star in a film about the Armenian Genocide being produced by billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, “Asbarez” reports according to showbiz411.com on Monday.
The entertainment site also reported that Terry George of “Hotel Rwanda” is set to direct the film, which he described as “a WWI love story, in the style of ‘Dr. Zhivago’ and ‘Reds,’ set against the backdrop of the Armenian genocide.”
According to The Wrap, the film follows a love triangle between Michael, a brilliant medical student, Ana, described as being beautiful and sophisticated, and Chris, a renowned American journalist based in Paris.
Bale will play Chris, who is in love with both a woman and the danger of being in a combat zone during WWI. Isaac will play Michael, who is in love with the same woman but conflicted by old-world traditions and his heart.
The subject of the Armenian Genocide has been near and dear to George, who in March 2013 was a guest of the Armenian State Pedagogical University, where the Irish filmmaker compared the Armenian Genocide to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, which he portrayed in his Oscar-nominated 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda”.
Bale has been featured in a number of films about other cultures, having recently starred in the Chinese-language production “The Flowers of War.” The Oscar-winning star of “The Fighter,” “American Hustle” and the “Dark Knight” trilogy made his feature debut in Steven Spielberg‘s historical drama “Empire of the Sun.”
Isaac has garnered major attention thanks to his upcoming roles in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “X-Men: Apocalypse.” He also has a new HBO miniseries “Show Me a Hero” on the horizon, and has been touted as a possible Oscar contender for his supporting performance in the acclaimed sci-fi movie “Ex Machina.”
Showbiz411 initially reported the news of the Kerkorian-funded film in February. Roger Friedman, reporting for showbiz411 said: “This could be a big epic hit. I expect with this updated news, a studio will become involved shortly.”
