Willem Dafoe, Tom Hiddleston join hands for mountaineer Tenzing Norgay biopic

Actors Willem Dafoe and Tom Hiddleston are set to feature together in a biopic on legendary Nepalese-Indian mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, one of the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Norgay was the Sherpa guide of Edmund Hillary and the two had scaled the treacherous terrains of the world’s highest mountain peak in May 1953.

The film, titled Tenzing, will feature Hiddleston as Hillary, while Dafoe will play the English expedition leader, Colonel John Hunt.

Currently, the makers are in search for an actor to play the lead role alongside Dafoe and Hiddleston. The film will be directed by Jennifer Peedom who has the exclusive rights to tell Tenzing’s story via his family. He also has a close relationship with the Sherpa community after he wrote and directed Sherpa, a critically acclaimed documentary in 2015. It tells the story of the Sherpas of Mount Everest when the largest avalanche in occurred on the mountain in 2014, killing 16 Sherpas.

The official synopsis reads, "After six previous attempts, Tenzing risked everything for one final venture. He had to navigate treacherous politics and perilous weather as he embarked on the most significant climb of his life. Through it all, he did so with humor, warmth, and generosity towards his fellow climbers, but also deep reverence and respect for the sacred Mother Goddess of his Mountain, Chomolungma."

Tenzing will have script by Luke Davies and will be produced by Liz Watts, Emile Sherman and Iain Canning for See-Saw Films, alongside Peedom and Davies. Filmmaker David Michod will executive produce along with Simon Gillis and Norbu Tenzing.