New Warren Harding Movie with Ethan Hawke, Daniel Radcliffe and Jessica Biel

There are plenty of Hollywood climbing films out there, from K2 and Cliffhanger to Vertical Limit, but the new Batso might be the movie industry’s most ambitious project to date when it comes to taking on climbing culture.

According to Deadline, “Four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke (Training Day), Emmy and BAFTA nominee Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter franchise) and Emmy nominee Jessica Biel (Sinner) are set to star in Batso, the true story of a trio of trailblazing climbers who in the early 1970s took on the most difficult route up iconic peak El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.” Hawke will be playing Warren “Batso” Harding (learn more about Harding here) and Radcliffe will be Dean Caldwell, who were the first up The Wall of Early Morning Light. Biel will play legendary climber Beryl Knauth. The script was written by Eamon O’Sullivan.

Deadline shared the film’s synopsis: “In 1970, The Wall of Early Morning Light’ was an unthinkable climb. For larger-than-life climbing legends Warren ‘Batso’ Harding and Dean Caldwell, it represented a near-impossible physical and mental challenge. For iconoclast Batso, it also offered one last chance to stick it to the naysayers who thought him too old, too out of touch and too crazy. For novice Dean, it was a way to see beyond his 9-to-5 existence and unlock the awesome potential of the human spirit. What began as an almost farcical exercise became one of the great underdog stories in the history of the sport. The estimated 10-day climb stretched into a 28-day marathon of grit and determination that sparked a media sensation.”

Director Kyle Marvin said, “The people who live in the world of professional climbing may seem to be doing something extreme, but in reality, their actions are a mirror of our lives. We all have a Dawn Wall we are destined to summit, or die trying.” To learn more about the history of the Wall of Early Morning Light, visit here.