BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A movie about the life and career of Dana, Indiana native Ernie Pyle is in the works.
According to a release from Indiana University, Media School students will develop a feature fim biopic based on Pyle this fall. Pyle is an IU alumnus who studied there over a century ago and was the editor-in-chief of the Indiana Daily Student for a summer.
Adjunct professor Austin Francalancia will instruct the IU Stories course. Francalancia was part of the production teams on films including “The Dark Knight Rises”, “Django Unchained” and “Spotlight”.
Francalancia said students will do extensive research on Pyle utilizing IU’s Lilly Library, which is the home of several Ernie Pyle letters and correspondence from World War II.
Pyle was killed by Japanese gunfire while traveling with the U.S. Army during the war in 1945.
The release did not include an expected release date for the film, but did mention that this would be a “long process” as students gather information and work through the film-making process.