Actors Christian Bale and Steve Zahn have joined the "Rescue Dawn" team, and they will play the main parts in Werner Herzog's movie based on his 1997 famous documentary "Little Dieter Needs to Fly."

The project is produced by Gibraltar Entertainment's Elton Brand and Steve Marlton, Cameo FJ Entertainment's Freddy Braidy, together with Franceso Julliard and Elie Samaha, and will begin shooting in Thailand in mid-August.




British actor Christian Bale ("Batman Begins", "Reign of Fire"), 31, will portray the German-born Dieter Dengler, a man who dreamed of being a pilot and eventually made his way to the United States, where he joined the military during the Vietnam War era. Dengler was shot down over Vietnam and captured. Eventually he organized an escape form the Pow camp with a small band of captives.

American actor Steve Zahn ("Daddy Day Care", "National Security", "Hamlet"), 37, will play the ill-looking Dwayne Martin.

"The Machinist" star Christian Bale also plays in Terrence Malick's upcoming "The New World", while the "Sahara" star Steve Zhan, who voices Disney's upcoming animated feature "Chicken Little, appears in the feature "Bandidas," opposite Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz.