MGM has bought the rights to the Vietnam War drama, Rescue Dawn.

The film is written and directed by Werner Herzog and stars Christian Bale, Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies. It's based on the true story of Dieter Dengler (Bale), an American pilot shot down, imprisoned and tortured by the Viet Cong after attempting a secret mission at the beginning of the Vietnam War, says The Hollywood Reporter. He staged an elaborate escape with his fellow POWs (Zahn and Davies) but quickly had to overcome even more death-defying obstacles in the jungle.

Rescue Dawn premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend, and will be released in theaters in December.

Rescue Dawn was released July 4th, 2007 and stars Zach Grenier, Marshall Bell, Christian Bale, Toby Huss, Pat Healy, GQ, James Oliver, Brad Carr. The film is directed by Werner Herzog.