Did you know that a weather forecast almost changed the course of World War II?
That’s the true story at the heart of upcoming drama Pressure, directed by Anthony Maras and starring Andrew Scott and Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser. Maras co-wrote the film with David Haig.
Fraser plays General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who’s just 72 hours out from launching the D-Day invasion of Normandy. It will be the largest seaborne invasion in history, and it could secure victory for the Allied Forces in their fight against the Axis.
For the landings to go smoothly, though, Eisenhower and the tens of thousands of Allied troops will need perfect conditions. Enter Captain James Stagg (Scott), a British meteorologist. Eisenhower asks him to provide the forecast for D-Day, and Stagg’s findings are less than encouraging.
As the film’s trailer shows, according to Stagg, two aggressive storms are approaching. If the Allies go through with the invasion now, the Axis forces will be the least of their concerns — it’s really Mother Nature they should be worrying about. Now, Eisenhower is faced with a difficult choice. If he continues with D-Day as is, he risks failure in the face of the storms. If he delays the invasion, he could risk the fate of the entire war. The pressure is on — and I’m not just talking about the air pressure in the storm systems.
Pressure also stars Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, and Damian Lewis.
Pressure opens in theaters May 29.
