Based on the 2001 novel In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Stanton, the series will be a World War II story. The U.S.S. Indianapolis was a Navy cruiser that was attacked by Japanese submarines in 1945. Of the nearly 1,200 people on board, fewer than 900 survived the initial attack; those who did soon faced even more terrifying challenges such as shark attacks as they waited for rescuers on life rafts. The miniseries is bound to be a tearjerker, given their number further dwindled to 321 in the several-day period it took for rescuer boats to reach them. (Another four men died shortly thereafter.)
This won’t be the first time the sinking of the ship has been brought to the screen. There was a 1991 TV movie on CBS about the topic, and it has even been discussed on Shark Week in the 2007 episode Ocean of Fear. Additionally, the upcoming film U.S.S. Indianapolis: Men of Courage starring Nicolas Cage is set to hit theaters in May 2016. Robert Downey Jr.’s production company, Team Downey, is also working on a feature based on the tragedy.
Such an enormous ordeal seems like an especially good fit for a miniseries; after all, there’s certainly no shortage of storylines to explore, from the attack itself to the days spent on life rafts to the rescue operation. The script is being written by Paul Scheuring (Prison Break), and he and Bacon will executive produce with Mark Gordon and Nick Pepper (both of Mark Gordon Co.), along with David Schiff.
Bacon most recently starred in crime film Black Mass alongside Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Peter Sarsgaard.
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