Casting News: Sir Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson to Star in Remarkable Real-Life Movie 'The Great Escaper'
(Photo: Getty Images)
Two British acting greats, Sir Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson, have signed up to star in a movie about a dramatic real-life escape.
Caine will play Bernard Jordan, an octogenarian World War II veteran who slipped out of his care home in 2014 so he could cross the English Channel and join fellow veterans at the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France. Jackson will co-star as his wife of 60 years, Irene, who supported him in his covert endeavor.
Jordan was dubbed "The Great Escaper" by the British press after successfully completing the trek from England to France for the anniversary ceremonies. He and Irene both passed away the following year, within a week of one another.
Entitled The Great Escaper, the comedy-drama movie is being directed by Oliver Parker, whose previous credits include An Ideal Husband and the 2016 Dad's Army movie. Billy Ivory (Made in Dagenham) has written the script, and shooting is due to start in June.
"No one can resist a script that makes people both laugh and cry — I loved Billy’s writing and the story itself, so inspirational and so moving, seemed to speak to our times and our need for heroes on a human scale, whether people like Bernard Jordan or our doctors and nurses," Parker told The Hollywood Reporter. "And now to have Michael and Glenda — two iconic actors — agree to honor this story with their brilliance, it’s the cherry on the cake!"
The Great Escaper will be Jackson's first movie role for more than 30 years. Since she resumed her acting career in 2015 following a 23-year hiatus during which she served as a Labour Party MP, she has starred in several Broadway and West End stage productions, and gave a BAFTA-winning performance in the BBC TV movie Elizabeth Is Missing, which had its U.S. premiere on PBS last month.
Are you looking forward to seeing Sir Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson on screen together?