Deepwater Horizon Information

Deepwater Horizon is an upcoming 2016 American biographical disaster thriller-drama film directed by Peter Berg, written by Matthew Sand and Matthew Michael Carnahan, and stars Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Dylan O'Brien, Gina Rodriguez, and Kate Hudson. The film is based on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Principal photography began on April 27, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is expected to release on September 30, 2016.

Cast

• Mark Wahlberg as Mike Williams
• Kurt Russell as Brendan
• John Malkovich as Edward
• Dylan O'Brien as Caleb Holloway
• Gina Rodriguez as Andrea Fleytas
• Kate Hudson as Mike's wife
• Ethan Suplee as Jason Anderson
• Henry Frost as Shane Rosto
• Jeremy Sande as Adam Weise

Production

On March 8, 2011, it was announced that Summit Entertainment, Participant Media and Image Nation acquired the film rights to the New York Times' article Deepwater Horizon's Final Hours written by David Barstow, David S. Rohde and Stephanie Saul, released on December 25, 2010, about the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill. Matthew Sand was set to write the screenplay while Lorenzo di Bonaventura was in talks to produce the film with his Di Bonaventura Pictures banner. Summit and Participant Media/Imagenation were also said to be financing the film. On acquiring the article to develop a film, President of Participant Media, Ricky Strauss said,

"This is a perfect fit for us-a suspenseful and inspiring real-life account of everyday people whose values are tested in the face of an impending environmental disaster."

On July 24, 2012, Ric Roman Waugh was in talks with the studios to direct the film, Mark Vahradian was also set to produce the film along with Bonaventura, Lions Gate Entertainment also joined the project to produce and distribute. On July 11, 2014, it was announced that All Is Lost's director J. C. Chandor had been hired to direct the film, whose screenplay's first draft was written by Sand and then Matthew Michael Carnahan wrote the second draft. In early October, it was confirmed that Summit would distribute the film, not Lionsgate. On January 30, 2015, it was reported that Lone Survivor director Peter Berg had replaced Chandor to re-team with Wahlberg for the film. Chandor exited due to some creative differences.

Casting

On August 19, 2014, casting began with actor Mark Wahlberg added for the lead role in the film. Gina Rodriguez was set on March 18, 2015 to play the female lead role in the film, where Wahlberg would play Mike Williams, an electrician on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, while Rodriguez was set to play Andrea Fleytas, who noticed a blazing at the rig and tried to contact the Coast Guard. Dylan O'Brien was in talks to play Caleb Holloway reported by Deadline on April 10, 2015. Kurt Russell also joined the film on the same day O'Brien was in talks, Russell's role was unspecified yet. Soon after, John Malkovich was confirmed cast as a BP representative who underestimates the dangers of working on the rig. Kate Hudson was announced as a cast member in May, 2015, and will play the wife of Wahlberg's character; her role will be the first on-screen pairing of Hudson and Russell, who raised her as a child. Wahlberg's character was revealed in May 2015, that he would be playing the real-life hero Mike Williams.

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on April 27, 2015. It was later officially announced by Lionsgate on May 18, 2015, that the filming had begun in New Orleans, Louisiana. Scenes at the BP offices are to be filmed in Liverpool, England in September 2015, as it also often doubles as New York.

Release

On October 6, 2014, Summit Entertainment set Deepwater Horizon for a wide release on September 30, 2016.