Angelina Jolie to direct Tom Hardy's Don McCullin biopic Unreasonable Behaviour

Angelina Jolie is framing her next big-screen venture as a director.

The Oscar-winning actress and filmmaker will helm a new biopic about the life of famed British war photographer Don McCullin, to be produced by Tom Hardy and Dean Baker through their Taboo production company Hardy Son & Baker.

"I am humbled to have a chance to bring Don McCullin's life to film," Jolie said in a press statement. "I was drawn to his unique combination of fearlessness and humanity, his absolute commitment to witnessing the truth of war, and his empathy and respect for those who suffer its consequences. We hope to make a film that is as uncompromising as Don's photography, about the extraordinary people and events he witnessed, and the rise and fall of a unique era in journalism."

McCullin, whose 60-year career spans world-renowned coverage of the Vietnam War, added that Jolie's directorial treatment of Loung Ung's memoir First They Killed My Father — about the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in 1970s Cambodia — convinced him that she would bring a "powerful and accurate representation" of his work documenting global strife from the streets of London to the far reaches of Asia.

"Don McCullin is someone that we've long held a deep and profound respect for," Hardy and Baker continued in a joint statement. "His remarkable story is one of brutal honesty, unflinching courage, and unbound empathy. Angelina has carved a considered approach to the material that we've all been looking for – relevant and compelling, ethically sensitive and engaging. We are excited by her vision and look forward to supporting her depiction of a man who deserves to be remembered for his extraordinary contribution, service, and lifelong work to humanity."

Unreasonable Behaviour marks Jolie's fifth scripted feature as a director, following In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), By the Sea (2015), First They Killed My Father (2017), and the 2014 blockbuster Unbroken, which went on to receive three Oscar nods atop of grossing $115 million at the domestic box office.

BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Gregory Burke ('71) wrote the Unreasonable Behaviour script, with additional production being handled by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (Darkest Hour) as well as McCullin and Mark George as executive producers.

A release date has yet to be announced.

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