Josh Bolt and Louis Ashbourne Serkis to Lead WWII Drama I'll Get By

World War II is one of the most devastating, powerful, and moving periods of time, full of stories, moments of inspiration, heroism, and patriotism. Hollywood has spent 80 years celebrating the heroics of those who fought, particularly when the reality of what happened to ordinary soldiers was often considerably less glamorous. Even now, there is no shortage of stories waiting to be told from that era, with a new WWII drama set to become the latest to explore one of the conflict's most dangerous scenarios, with a cast of rising stars bringing it to life.

Collider can exclusively reveal that Josh Bolt and Louis Ashbourne Serkis will lead the ensemble cast of I'll Get By, a powerful and gritty new WWII drama written and directed by Brandon Ashplant, with filming set to begin at the end of October. The movie will also star Cameron Ashplant, Spike White, Robert Rhodes, and Reggie McHale, following a group of American airmen whose bombing mission over occupied France takes a devastating turn. The film follows a crew of U.S. Army Airmen as they navigate the brutal realities of WWII. Parachuting out of their burning B-17 into enemy territory, after the aircraft is hit by flak during a bombing raid over Occupied France. They land where the front line is shifting hour-by-hour following the success of D-Day.

Rather than focusing on the grand heroics that we all traditionally associate with WWII movies, the filmmakers are shooting for a more grounded portrayal of what happened, as they explore how ordinary, flawed young men respond to extreme danger and psychological trauma. Production will begin in Norwich, England, before moving to Guernsey, which will double for wartime Normandy. The filmmakers will also utilize LED Volume technology, with a physical B-17 cockpit and fuselage suspended on a virtual production soundstage to recreate the aircraft's terrifying final moments.

Who's Involved in 'I'll Get By'?

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Bolt (Nowhere Boy, Last Tango in Halifax) leads as Technical Sergeant Donald I. Kantowski, alongside Serkis (The Kid Who Would Be King, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple) as Second Lieutenant Al Paduano. Ashplant (The Last Bus) will portray Second Lieutenant Walt "Virginia" Hawthorne, while White (The Good Liar, The Sandman) plays Lieutenant Raymond D. Deaton. Rhodes (The Rapture, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple) joins as Captain Harold O. Bowen, with McHale (Masters of the Air, Surviving Black Hawk Down) rounding out the cast as Sergeant Jasper W. Collier Jr.

Andrew Butler (Albert, In Another Life) will serve as director of photography, while the producing team includes Ashplant, Academy Award nominee Jonathan Tammuz, BAFTA member Patrik Krivanek, Georgia Clarke, John Whitby, and Alexander Finer. Richard Laverick, Stephen Ainsworth, and Stephen Collas serve as executive producers. The project is being produced by Golden Goat Films, Hex Pictures, and Ephor Pictures, with support from Guernsey Arts, the Institute of Screen Arts Guernsey, and Norfolk Screen.

Filming on I'll Get By is scheduled to begin at the end of October 2026. A theatrical release date has not yet been announced. Stay tuned at Collider for more.