As Netflix prepares to break new ground with its live-action animation hybrid The Liberator, it has been announced that Bradley James (Merlin) has been cast in the lead role of the World War II series, according to Deadline.
The Liberator will follow the exploits of the 157th Infantry Regiment, a National Guard unit from Oklahoma comprised of cowboys, Native Americans and Mexican-Americans, as they fight their way across Europe, from the invasion of Italy to the liberation of Dachau concentration camp.
The series is based on Alex Kershaw’s book The Liberator: One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odyssey and has been created and adapted by screenwriter Jeb Stuart (Die Hard).
James will portray Felix Sparks, a cowboy from Arizona. He is the leader of 157th Field Infantry Regiment E Company, a disparate group of Westerners who went on to become one of the most decorated combat units of World War II. A man of strength, compassion and conscience, Sparks was stubborn and defiant to superiors who put themselves and their careers over their men. During the course of over 500 days of combat, which saw Sparks rise from Second Lieutenant to Lt. Colonel—and the men under his command grow to over 10,000 — he continued to “lead from the front,” sharing their sacrifices and challenges.
The Liberatorwill be made with Trioscope Enhanced Hybrid Animation, a new technology that combines state-of-the-art CGI with live-action performance. Grzegorz Jonkajtys, who has developed the new Trioscope Enhanced Hybrid Animation with L.C. Crowley of animation studio School of Humans, is set to direct all four episodes, which are being produced by A+E Studios and Unique Features.