LOS ANGELES -- LOS ANGELES (AP) — Universal Pictures has announced that Angelina Jolie is in Sydney, Australia, to direct the survival saga "Unbroken." The film will tell the true story of Lou Zamperini, a World War II hero and track star who ran in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.


The movie, to be released in December 2014, is based on Laura Hillenbrand's book "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption," which chronicles Zamperini's life.


The former Olympian spent a harrowing 47 days afloat in the Pacific Ocean following the 1943 crash of his U.S. military plane. He spent the following two years as a prisoner of war after washing up behind Japanese enemy lines.


"Unbroken" will star Jack O'Connell as Zamperini. The screenplay is being fine-tuned by Joel and Ethan Coen.




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    392621 07: Actress Angelina Jolie attends the premiere of the MGM Pictures'' film 'Original Sin' July 31, 2001 in Hollywood, CA. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)




  • Photo dated 10 September 2001 shows US movie star


    TOKYO, JAPAN: Photo dated 10 September 2001 shows US movie star Angelina Jolie posing for photographers during a press conference for the promotion of her latest movie 'Tomb Raider' at a Tokyo hotel. Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has arrived back in Phnom Penh to finalise adoption procedures for her new son and to find a new home, according to a report in the Cambodian capital, 22 May 2002. AFP PHOTO/Yoshikazu TSUNO (Photo credit should read YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images)




  • The 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals


    Angelina Jolie (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)




  • 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards


    399817 183: Actress Angelina Jolie kisses her husband actor Billy Bob Thornton as they attend the 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel January 20, 2002 in Beverly Hills, CA. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)




  • Angelina Jolie


    LONDON - AUGUST 19: Actress Angelina Jolie arrives at the premiere of 'Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life' at the Empire Cinema Leicester Square on August 19, 2003 in London. (Photo by Steve Finn/Getty Images)




  • US actress and United Nations High Commi


    US actress and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie (C) poses with children in a refugee camp near the village of Komsomolskiy in North Osetia, 22 August 2003. (Photo credit should read VLADIMIR MAYOROV/AFP/Getty Images)




  • World Premiere of "Beyond Borders" - After Party


    Angelina Jolie during World Premiere of 'Beyond Borders' - After Party at Cipriani, 42nd Street in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by James Devaney/WireImage)




  • "Shark Tale" Premiere - Arrivals


    NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: Actress Angelina Jolie arrives at the 'Shark Tale' premiere at Central Park's Delacorte Theater on September 27, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)




  • Actress Angelina Jolie of the US and act


    LEIPZIG, Germany: Actress Angelina Jolie of the US and actor Colin Farrell (L) of Ireland laugh as they both have a Boa Constrictor snake crawling over their shoulders 13 November 2004 in the eastern town of Leipzig, during the 151st edition of the German TV show 'Wetten, Dass...?' ('Let's Bet...?') by German showmaster Thomas Gottschalk. The show, which has celebrity contestants betting on whether outlandish feats can be performed or not, is one of Germany's most popular programmes. AFP PHOTO DDP/JOERG KOCH GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read JOERG KOCH/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Premiere Of UA's "Hotel Rwanda" - Arrivals


    LOS ANGELES - DECEMBER 2: Actress Angelina Jolie attends the premiere of the United Artists film 'Hotel Rwanda' December 2, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)




  • VIETNAM-ENTERTAINMENT-US-FILM-PEOPLE-PITT-JOLIE


    Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie leave the Temple Club restaurant where they had dinner in downtown Ho Chi Minh city, late 23 November 2006. The two stars make a discret stay in Vietnamese Southern economic hub after a surprise visit to Cambodia where Jolie pledged to set up a new conservation project. Jolie and Pitt flew to Southeast Asian countries during filming for 'A Mighty Heart' in Mumbai. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Hollywood film actress and UNHCR good-wi


    New Delhi, INDIA: Hollywood film actress and UNHCR good-will ambassador, Angelina Jolie (L) faces the media after meeting with the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, Anand Sharma at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, 05 November 2006. Jolie, who is in New Delhi for two days to work with the UN refugee agency, met with refugee women and children from Myanmar and also the Khalsa Diwan Welfare Society, an organization run by and for Sikh Afghan refugees in India. AFP PHOTO/RAVEENDRAN (Photo credit should read RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Actress Angelina Jolie attends the World


    New York, UNITED STATES: Actress Angelina Jolie attends the World Premiere of 'The Good Shepherd' presented by Universal Pictures at the Ziegfeld Theatre 11 December 2006 in New York City. AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)




  • TIFF 2007 -"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" North American Premiere


    TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 08: Actress Angelina Jolie and actor Brad Pitt arrive at the 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' North American Premiere screening during the Toronto International Film Festival 2007 held at the Elgin Theatre on September 8, 2007 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)




  • BRITAIN-BEOWULF-PREMIERE


    US actress Angelina Jolie arrives with actor Brad Pitt in London's Leicester Square, 11 November 2007, to attend the European Premiere of her latest film, Beowulf. Jolie plays an evil queen in the epic 'Beowulf,' directed by Robert Zemeckis and distributed by Paramount and Warner Bros. (Photo credit should read MAX NASH/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Cannes 2008: 'Changeling' - Premiere


    CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 20: Actress Angelina Jolie departs from the 'Changeling' at the Palais des Festivals during the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2008 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)




  • US actress Angelina Jolie looks at her b


    US actress Angelina Jolie looks at her baby bump as she poses during a photocall for US actor and director Clint Eastwood's film 'The Exchange' at the 61st Cannes International Film Festival on May 20, 2008 in Cannes, southern France. Despite his giant standing in film, Clint Eastwood is 'gentleman' enough to take the risk of entering his latest movie in the race for the top prize at Cannes and go home empty-handed, says Thierry Fremaux, the head of the film festival. AFP PHOTO / Valery Hache (Photo credit should read VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Actress Angelina Jolie arrives for the L


    Actress Angelina Jolie arrives for the Los Angeles premiere of �The Curious Case of Benjamin Button�, December 8, 2008, in Westwood, California. The film is adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Premiere Of Weinstein Co. "Inglourious Basterds" - Arrivals


    HOLLYWOOD - AUGUST 10: Actress Angelina Jolie (L) and actor Brad Pitt arrive at the premiere of Weinstein Co.'s 'Inglourious Basterds' held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on August 10, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)




  • Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie


    FILE - In this May 20, 2009 file photo, Brad Pitt, right, and Angelina Jolie arrive on the red carpet for the film "Inglourious Basterds", during the 62nd International film festival in Cannes, southern France. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, file)




  • US actress Angelina Jolie (R) poses with


    US actress Angelina Jolie (R) poses with US actor Brad Pitt as they arrive for the premiere of her last film 'the Tourist' on December 16, 2010 at the Palacio de Deportes of Madrid. AFP PHOTO/ PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU (Photo credit should read PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Premiere Of FilmDistrict's "In The Land Of Blood And Honey" - Red Carpet


    HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 08: Actor Brad Pitt (L) and Writer/Director Angelina Jolie arrive at the premiere of FilmDistrict's 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' held at ArcLight Cinemas on December 8, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)




  • Angelina Jolie. Brad Pitt


    Actress Angelina Jolie, right, and actor Brad Pitt arrive before the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)




  • Angelina Jolie


    Actress Angelina Jolie arrives before the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)




  • Actress Angelina Jolie, sports an engagement ring as she and Brad Pitt, view works from the Chinese collection at the The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in Los Angeles Thursday April 12, 2012. Pitt’s manager Cynthia Pett-Dante confirmed their engagement on Friday. Robert Procop confirmed that the ring was created by him, in collaboration with Brad Pitt, for Angelina Jolie. (AP Photo/Robert Procop, The Communications Group)




  • 84th Annual Academy Awards - Arrivals


    HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Angelina Jolie arrives at the 84th Annual Academy Awards held at Hollywood & Highland Centre on February 26, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)




  • 3rd Annual Women In The World Summit


    NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 08: Actress Angelina Jolie attends the 3rd Annual Women in the World Summit at David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center on March 8, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)




  • Hollywood Actress Angelina Jolie Attends A Foreign Office Briefing On Preventing Sexual Violence In Conflict


    LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 29: Actress Angelina Jolie arrives to meet government ministers ahead of a screening of her new film 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' at the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) on May 29, 2012 in London, England. Angelina Jolie spoke on the Foreign Secretary’s initiative on preventing sexual violence in Conflict, ahead of the screening. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)




  • LEBANON-SYRIA-CONFLICT-REFUGEES-JOLIE


    US actress and UNHCR special envoy Angelina Jolie attends a press conference following a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut on September 12, 2012. The number of refugees who have fled Syria has reached more than 250,000, the United Nations said , calling the humanitarian problems sparked by the conflict 'our biggest crisis'. AFP PHOTO/JOSEPH EID (Photo credit should read JOSEPH EID/AFP/GettyImages)




  • TURKEY-UN-SYRIA-JOLIE


    Hollywood star and UN special envoy Angelina Jolie (L) leaves on September 14, 2012 after meeting with the Turkish deputy prime minister in Ankara, a day after visiting Syrian refugee camps near the border. Turkey, which shares a 910-kms (560-mile) border with Syria, is home to some 80,000 refugees in several camps in its southeast. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/GettyImages)




  • Women in the World Summit 2013


    NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 04: Actress Angelina Jolie attends the Women in the World Summit 2013 on April 4, 2013 in New York, United States. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images)




  • BRITAIN-G8-DIPLOMACY


    US actress and humanitarian campaigner Angelina Jolie leaves Lancaster House in central London on April 11, 2013 after speaking during an announcement of funding to address conflict sexual violence on the sidelines of the G8 Foreign Ministers meeting. British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Angelina Jolie spoke at the G8 Foreign Minister’s meeting to announce 10 million GBP (15,340,000 USD) funding to support efforts to tackle sexual violence in conflict and violence against women and girls (VAWG). AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)