Daniel Radcliffe to Star in “Batso”

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Daniel Radcliffe has undertaken a wide variety of acting challenges since stealing our hearts in his Harry Potter days. He’s conquered the stage (most recently in Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway), rocked an accordion as the titular character in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and graced the small screen as a newlywed in a postnuclear wasteland in Miracle Workers, to name just a few. His next role is set to take him to new heights, and we mean that literally.

 

 

Daniel Radcliffe will star alongside Ethan Hawke and Jessica Biel in Batso, which is the true story of three climbers from the 1970s. The legendary Warren “Batso” Harding, played by Hawke, and Dean Caldwell, played by Radcliffe, were the first to conquer an intensely difficult course up Yosemite’s El Capitan. Biel will take on the role of Beryl Knauth, who was Warren’s romantic partner and an experienced climber in her own right. Known by the deceptively innocent moniker “the Wall of Early Morning Light” or “the Dawn Wall,” the sheer-faced route took the trailblazers almost a month to summit, as opposed to the originally planned ten-day climb. The synopsis provides further detail.

In 1970, ‘The Wall of Early Morning Light’ was an unthinkable climb. For larger-than-life climbing legends Warren ‘Batso’ Harding and Dean Caldwell, it represented a near-impossible physical and mental challenge. For iconoclast Batso, it also offered one last chance to stick it to the naysayers who thought him too old, too out of touch and too crazy. For novice Dean, it was a way to see beyond his 9-to-5 existence and unlock the awesome potential of the human spirit.

Marked by unforeseen challenges and dwindling supplies, the adventure garnered media attention then and makes for a fascinating movie subject now. We are unabashedly excited to see Daniel Radcliffe bring his characteristic energy to the role.

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