Posted: Thurs., Nov. 5, 2009, 8:00pm PT

Producers enlist for Murphy biopic

'Beyond the Sea' duo nab rights to 'Name on the Bullet'

Producers Arthur E. Friedman ("Beyond the Sea") and Steven Jay Rubin are developing an Audie Murphy biopic, buying rights to Don Graham's biography "No Name on the Bullet."

Murphy enlisted in 1942 as a 16-year-old and became one of America's most decorated combat veterans after seeing intense action in Italy and France. He starred as himself in the 1955 hit "To Hell and Back" and appeared in more than 40 other films from directors such as John Huston ("The Red Badge of Courage," "The Unforgiven"), Joseph L. Mankiewicz ("The Quiet American") and Budd Boetticher ("A Time for Dying").

Murphy died in a plane crash in 1971. The producers are also partnered with Audie's son Terry Murphy, who is bringing proprietary, previously unknown material about his father's life to the project.

Friedman and Rubin are planning to include battle sequences and Murphy's postwar experiences: He was tormented by memories of friends perishing in combat.

"Our intention is to present this celebrated hero as a man of many human dimensions, not as an iconic figurehead," Rubin said. "What turns a 16-year-old farm boy from Texas into a killing machine in war? What happens when he then goes from warrior to movie star?"


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