With this year’s HBO miniseries The Pacific a big success, it’s perhaps not all that surprising to learn that Warner Bros. wants to muscle in on the action. And in an encouraging move, the studio is recruiting one of the men who made that series so good, and has bought up writer/producer Bruce McKenna’s pitch The Battle Of Midway.
Midway was one of the turning points in World War Two, coming at a time when the US was still recovering from the devastating attack on Pearl Harbour. In a decisive victory, the American Navy took out a chunk of the Japanese sea-going forces, including four aircraft carriers and a heavy cruiser.
It’s not the first time that such an important clash has been seen on screen: John Ford had the Navy itself shoot footage for 1942’s short Battle of Midway, while 1976’s Midway saw Charlton Heston, James Coburn and Henry Fonda serving on the sea.
McKenna’s script apparently carries a $200 million price tag and he’ll be delivering it within a couple of months so Warners can shove it straight on the fast track. And it’ll be in 3D, with Akiva Goldsman overseeing the production.
There’s no word on a director or cast yet, but we expect Warners will want this ready to compete with Universal's Battleship by 2012. Even if this does feature 85% fewer aliens.