British actor and former professional footballer Vinnie Jones and American actor and playwright Stephen Lang have joined the cast to help recreate the story of a group of World War I soldiers who departed Maitland in 1916 to risk their lives in France.
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Jones (X-Men, Snatch, Gone in Sixty Seconds) and Lang (Avatar) are the latest to join the cast for the $20 million WWI epic written by former Vacy man Ian Sparke.
Australian actress Emilie De Ravin (Lost, Once Upon a Time) has also signed on to play the wife of a Maitland soldier to be played by Nick Farnell of Balibo fame.
The cast also includes Australian actors Vince Colosimo, Khan Crittenden, Henry Nixon, Luke Hemsworth, Les Hill and Claire van der Boom.
Written over two decades, 34th Battalion tells the story of the army battalion who trained in Maitland and left for war from Farley railway station on May 1, 1916.
The men were commonly known as Maitland’s own.
Mr Sparke – an historian and military film specialist – began writing the script while living in Maitland and said the storyline for the movie features a number of local
characters including a tribute to two Dungog brothers who went to war.
Mr Sparke was first inspired by the men of the 34th Battalion while he was a student at Maitland Boys’ High School.
“Putting this all together has been poignant for me because Maitland is my home town and I’ve always had a great feeling of responsibility to these men and their story,” he said.
Shooting for the film starts next year.
