Christian Bale takes on Everest in new Working Title film

Christian Bale is set to star in the mountain-climbing disaster movie Everest, according to Deadline.

Bale's role is not clear at this stage, but the film is based on real-life events that took place in 1996 as three separate crews tried to climb the world's tallest mountain. A freak storm hit Everest, leaving eight climbers dead in its wake. The story was made famous by Jon Krakauer in the book Into Thin Air, which described how he survived to tell the tale.

Krakauer's tome will be among a number of sources used for the film version, which is being put together at Britain's Working Title production company. Iceland's Baltasar Kormákur (The Deep, Contraband) will direct.

Everest is not to be confused with a separate movie going by the same name that is being put together at studio Sony with The Bourne Identity's Doug Liman in the director's chair. The latter project has Tom Hardy attached to play Sir George Mallory, the famous British mountaineer who attempted to be the first to reach the top of the Himalayan peak in the 20s. Mallory died on Everest in 1924, but his body was not located until 1999.

This article was written by Ben Child, for guardian.co.uk on Wednesday 20th February 2013 15.22 Europe/London