Garrett Hedlund has finalized a deal to star in director Angelina Jolie's true story drama Unbroken. The deal had been in the works for more than a month, with the actor having to resolve scheduling conflicts before signing on.

Jack O'Connell stars as Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic track star whose Air Force plane went down in the Pacific Ocean. He managed to survive for 47 days on a life raft, in the midst of shark attacks and enemy fire, before he washed up on a Japanese island where he was taken prisoner for more than two years. Garrett Hedlund is portraying Commander John Fitzgerald, a fellow P.O.W. with Zamperini.

Angelina Jolie is directing from the most recent draft of the script by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, which is adapted from the non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit). Richard LaGravenese (Behind the Candelabra) and William Nicholson (Les Miserables) previously worked on the script before Angelina Jolie signed on to direct back in December. Production is scheduled to begin in October.

Garrett Hedlund most recently starred in On the Road, and he will next be seen in Ethan Coen and Joel Coen's next directorial effort Inside Llewyn Davis.