Brendan Fraser has experienced a renaissance (or, should we say, a Brennaissance) since his Oscar-winning role in 2022’s The Whale. It appears he’s continuing to ride that wave, as it’s been announced the actor will portray famed Allied general and US President Dwight D. Eisenhower in an upcoming film about the lead-up to the Allied landings at Normandy. What’s more, two veterans of the war genre are slated to appear alongside him.
The film, titled Pressure, is currently in the pre-production stage, with filming slated to begin in the United Kingdom this coming September. Directed by Anthony Maras and based on the West End production by David Haig, the synopsis reads as follows (per Deadline),
“In the seventy two hours leading up to D-Day, all the pieces are in place except for one key element – the British weather. Britain’s chief meteorological officer James Stagg is called upon to deliver the most consequential forecast in history, locking him into a tense standoff with the entire Allied leadership. The wrong conditions could devastate the largest ever seaborne invasion, while any delay risks German intelligence catching on.
“With only his trusted aide Captain Kay Summersby to confide in, and haunted by a catastrophic D-Day rehearsal, the final decision rests with Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower. With only hours to go, the fate of the war and the lives of millions hang in the balance.”
As aforementioned, Brendan Fraser will be portraying Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II. Given his position, the future president of the United States was intimately involved when it came to planning D-Day, from the timing of the landings to what occurred in their lead-up.
Fraser’s announcement follows that of Irish actor Andrew Scott, who is best known for portraying James Moriarty in the BBC adaptation of Sherlock (2010-17) and the Priest in Fleabag (2016-19). The actor is no stranger to war films, as he appeared in 2019’s World War I feature, 1917.
Scott is slated to play Group Capt. James Stagg, a British meteorologist who worked alongside the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. Notably, he was the one to convince Eisenhower to change the date of the D-Day landings, as inclement weather threatened to disrupt the initial plan to launch the assault on June 5, 1944.
Pushing the landings back a day ensured their success.
Three other names have also been revealed as being involved in the project. Kerry Condon, best known for portraying Siobhán Súilleabháin in 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin, was announced in August 2024. Damian Lewis, best known for his work on Band of Brothers (2001) and Homeland (2011-20), and Chris Messina, who appeared in Argo (2012) and The Mindy Project (2012-17), were both revealed as being involved the following month.
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Pressure is backed by Studiocanal and Working Title. Additional casting is currently underway.