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Director Jon Turteltaub On Board for Greenpeace Origin Film

by Ethan Anderton
November 13, 2009

It looks like former Vice President Al Gore isn't the only one pushing green films as Variety reports National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub is next set to direct a film chronicling the birth of Greenpeace, the organization fighting for the protection and conservation of the environment. The yet-to-be titled film will be told through the eyes of the controversial organization's charismatic founding members: Bob Hunter and Rex Weyler as recounted in their respective books Warriors of the Rainbow: A Chronicle of the Greenpeace Movement and Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists, and Visionaries Changed the World.

The books (and the feature film to follow) chronicle a group of pacifists, ecologists, musicians, teachers, sailors, and scientists, primarily in the late 1970's and early 1980's, as they set out to disrupt American and French nuclear bomb tests, Japanese and Russian whaling ships and Norwegian infant harp seal hunters. In their frequent successes and dedication they inadvertently started a movement that is still going strong today. Producers Jerry and Janet Zucker have writer Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, Charlie Wilson's War) in their mind for the screenplay and have already had early discussions with him about the project.

Janet Zucker notes: "We want to look at these unlikely heroes who became activists in spite of themselves. Jon [Turteltaub] likes to make big adventure movies. And we've found that the best way to reach people's hearts and minds is through entertainment." If there's one writer that can make historical chronicle not only fit into a two hour time-slot, but also make it entertaining, it's Aaron Sorkin. The man is a frickin' wizard with exposition and dialogue and has plenty of wit up his sleeve. If this all comes together with Sorkin, it'll be interesting to see how Turteltaub translates his script to screen. With plenty of big car chases, I'm sure?

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