Scots
actors Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner are to
star together in a film for the first time since
their unforgettable performances in Trainspotting.
The two Scots stars have shaved their heads
to play American soldiers in Black Hawk Down,
the real-life story of a disastrous battle in
the streets of the Somalian capital.
The £50m movie, currently being shot amid tight
security in North Africa, is widely tipped to
be one of next year’s big box office hits.
The film is producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s
follow-up to another tale of American military
disaster, Pearl Harbor.
Ewen Bremner has a major role in Pearl Harbor
as an American airman, and it is understood
his previous appearance with McGregor was a
factor in the casting of Black Hawk Down.
Black
Hawk Down tells the story of a group of
American soldiers who found themselves in a
pitched battle with thousands of Somalians in
1993 as they tried to rescue the occupants of
two downed helicopters. It is estimated that
500 Somalians died in the battle, many of them
civilians.
Bremner
plays machine-gunner Shawn Nelson, who sees
one of the Black Hawk helicopters shot from
the sky. Nelson charged off towards the wreck,
with other soldiers behind him. According to
Bowden’s account, Nelson mowed down combatants
and civilians alike in a desperate bid to save
his comrades.
McGregor’s character is based mainly on
John Stebbins, a clerk who was assigned at the
last minute to another squad involved in the
operation. He too tried to rescue downed helicopter
crew, was hit repeatedly by gunfire and grenades
and given up for dead, although he was rescued
and recovered from his wounds.
Expectations of the film are high with Gladiator
director Ridley Scott at the helm and a starry
international cast that includes Josh Hartnett
from Pearl Harbor, and Tom Sizemore from Saving
Private Ryan.
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