Frank Pierson is scripting the battle of Chosin Reservoir

By Siewaun
Reference: Variety

Academy Award-winning veteran screenwriter Frank Pierson ("Dog Day Afternoon," "Cat Ballou," "Cool Hand Luke"), 84 years old, is in preparation to script a 3D Korean War epic feature, "17 Days of Winter" for Madmedia Entertainment.

Director Eric Brevig ("Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D") will direct from Pierson's script, which centers on the brutal seventeen day battle of Chosin Reservoir between 27 November and 13 December 1950, which 12,000 American troops fought a 120,000-man Chinese force in sub-zero temperatures.

Pierson, whose last produced written script was the 1990 Harrison Ford starrer "Presumed Innocent," was quoted as saying, "The most interesting thing about the battle of Chosin Reservoir, from a writing standpoint, was the only people they had to put into the Marine division that went over were leaders from WWII, who were then in their 30s, who were virtually coming out of retirement. Serving with them were 17- and 18-year-old volunteers who had never even been to boot camp."

3D veteran writer-producer Charlotte Huggins, who produced Brevig's "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D," is on board to produce the war epic, while Jayson Wan of Madmedia is executive producing.

The feature, which is expected to cost between $80 to 100 million to make, is getting unprecedented support from the South Korean government.

Shooting is scheduled to begin over the winter of 2010-2011 in South Korea and New Zealand for a 2012 release.