Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Ewan McGregor And Mark Strong Join Everest Film

Ewan McGregor has climbed aboard Everest alongside Mark Strong and Sam Heughan, a thriller from Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman based on the fictional account of George Mallory's life in the novel Paths of Glory, Deadline reports.

Everest will star McGregor (Trainspotting, Star Wars) as real-life climber George Mallory. In 1921, Mallory and a crew of climbers and sherpas made the first attempt at conquering Mt. Everest. Mark Strong (Shazam!) will play Arthur Hinks, who selects Mallory to lead the climb, while Heughan (Outlander) will play the part of Mallory's rival, Australian climber George Finch. Filming will reportedly begin in January in the UK and Italy.

Mallory led three attempts at summiting Everest, the third of which, made in 1924, ended in his death. His body was lost for 75 years, before finally recovered by a BBC-sponsored expedition. It's unknown whether Mallory successfully reached the peak of Everest, as his camera was never found. Sir Edmund Hillary is credited as the first confirmed climber to reach the summit of Everest nearly 30 years later, in 1953, along with sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

The journey to getting Everest going has been a difficult climb for Liman as well. The director was first attached to the film back in 2011 when it was with Sony Pictures. Actor Tom Hardy was attached to play Mallory in 2012. As with back then, Liman will produce the film with Jennifer Klein, using a script from Sheldon Turner adapted from Jeffrey Archer's novel.

Everest is a ways off, but more Ewan McGregor is on the way already. The actor returning as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the upcoming Disney+ show of the same name, alongside Hayden Christensen. Obi-Wan will be sporting a new look for the series according to McGregor himself. The show has been delayed a few times, but Disney has confirmed that the series is on as recently as this March.