4 Lads Vie For Lead In "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk"

Deadline reports that Billy Howle Taron Egerton, Joe Cole and Jack Reynor are all in contention for the title role in "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk," a film adaptation of author Ben Fountain's acclaimed Iraq War novel.

 The dark satire follows a ninteen-year-old Texas-born infantry man and his fellow U.S. servicemen who survive a firefight in Iraq in 2005. The Bush administration brings them home for a victory lap that leads them to the Dallas Cowboys’ football stadium where they're honored during the team's Thanksgiving halftime show. Then they return to war.

Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire") has written the adapted script from which "Life of Pi" and "Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee is calling the shots.

Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell and Rhodri Thomas are slated to produce. 
 
Production begins in April.