Brendan Fraser has signed up to star in Anthony Maras’ new drama film about the three days leading up to the Normandy beach landings during World War Two.
Pressure will see Fraser play Dwight Eisenhower, the American military general who led the pivotal allied effort in June 1944, as he struggles with the decision to send troops to Normandy because of unpredictable weather conditions. Because of this, Britain’s chief meteorological officer James Stagg (Andrew Scott) is called upon to deliver what may well be the most consequential weather forecast in history.
“In the seventy-two hours leading up to D-Day, all the pieces are in place except for one key element – the British weather,” a press release about Pressure, shared by production company STUDIOCANAL, said. “With only hours to go, the fate of the war and the lives of millions hang in the balance.”
The movie, directed by Australian filmmaker Anthony Maras, is based on David Haig’s acclaimed play of the same name. The play enjoyed a successful run in London’s West End and was performed in front of Queen Elizabeth 2 and world leaders to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019. Haig has co-written the screenplay for the feature alongside Maras, according to the same press release.
Pressure will see Maras direct a feature for the first time in six years. His previous film, Hotel Mumbai, was released in 2018 and starred Dev Patel and Armie Hammer.
In playing Eisenhower, Fraser will return to the big screen as the lead actor in a film for the first time since winning the Oscar for Best Actor in 2023 for his performance as Charlie, an obese teacher who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter, in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. More recently, Fraser appeared in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon as lawyer W.S. Hamilton.
Best known for playing The Hot Priest in the acclaimed British comedy series Fleabag, Scott has elevated his stock as an actor after critically lauded performances in Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers and the Netflix series Ripley. He will come into the project fresh from wrapping up filming for Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man, the upcoming Knives Out threequel set to release in 2025.
No release date for Pressure has been announced; however, filming will begin in September in the UK.