Sherpa Tenzing Norgay is one of the two people (along with Edmund Hillary) who first climbed the world’s highest peak, Jomolungma, in 1953.
In the See-Saw Films movie, according to Variety, Tom Hiddleston («Loki») will play the role of Hillary, while Willem Dafoe («Poor things») will play the role of the leader of the English expedition, Colonel John Gant. Candidates for the role of Norgay himself are still being considered.
The film, with a working title «Tenzing», was directed by Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom (documentary «Sherpa»), who obtained exclusive rights to Norgay’s story from his family and has a close relationship with the Sherpa community
«I have no doubt that this movie will have a wide resonance. Each of us has our own mountains to climb, and the film shows us what people are really capable of,» said Pidom.
Tibetan-born Norgay, along with New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary, were members of a British expedition that conquered the summit of the world’s highest mountain.
Tenzing had made six unsuccessful attempts before that, but finally decided to make the climb, which became decisive in his life. Like a true Sherpa, he showed deep respect for the sacred Mother Goddess of his Mountain, Jomolungma, and treated his climbing friends with warmth and generosity, taking any adversity with humor.