12:35PM PDT 11/01/16 by Diana Lodderhose
EXCLUSIVE: Michael Pena has joined Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon in the cast of Nicolai Fuglsig’s Horse Soldiers, the tense true story of a U.S. Special Forces team and their untested captain sent to a rugged region of Afghanistan in the weeks after 9/11. Lionsgate is expected to be launching the title to buyers at the American Film Market this week.
Pena will play Diller, a member of Mitch’s (Hemsworth) team that was assigned to join forces with a Northern Alliance warlord to fight against overwhelming odds to drive out the Taliban.
Diller is described as a West Virginia hick who would have been a history teacher if his temper didn’t get the best of him. His character shows great bravery when he volunteers to lead a group around the mountains into life-threatening terrain to attempt to cut of the Taliban’s supply line.
Horse Soldiers is being co-financed by Black Label Media, whose Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill are producing with Jerry Bruckheimer and his Jerry Bruckheimer Films banner. Chad Oman will exec produce. The film was adapted from Doug Stanton’s book by Peter Craig and Ted Tally.
Pena can be seen in the upcoming Warner Bros title Collateral Beauty and John Michael McDonough’s film War in Everyone. He’s also starring as Ponch in Dax Shepard’s CHiPs.
He is repped by CAA, Management 360 and attorney Rick Geno.
Source: DEADLINE
