‘Tenzing’: Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe board Tenzing Norgay biopic

While Hiddleston and Dafoe will portray Sir Edmund Hillary and Colonel John Hunt respectively, a search is underway for an actor in the lead role of Tenzing

A biopic on the extraordinary life of Tenzing Norgay, who conquered Mount Everest alongside Edmund Hillary in 1953, is in the works.

Titled Tenzing, the film is being produced by British-Australian banner See-Saw Films.

According to a report in Deadline, British actor Tom Hiddleston will feature as Sir Edmund Hillary in the film. Willem Dafoe will portray Colonel John Hunt who lead the famous expedition on which Hillary and Tenzing triumphed.

A search is currently underway for an actor in the lead role of Tenzing.

Tenzing, an Indian-Nepalese Sherpa, and Hillary, a bee-keeper and explorer from New Zealand, were the first confirmed humans to climb the world’s highest peak. They were part of the ninth British Mount Everest expedition, which commenced on 10 March in 1953 and concluded with Hillary and Tenzing reaching the summit on May 29.

Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom has acquired the rights to adapt Tenzing’s story from his family, the Deadline report added.

Peedom had directed the documentary Sherpa (2015), on the life of Sherpa Phurba Tashi.