Taboo Writer to Adapt Soldier’s Ukrainian War Memoir as Feature Film

British production outfit United Heroes is set to adapt Live, Fight, Survive, British soldier Shaun Pinner’s autobiographical memoir of his harrowing experience in the Ukraine war, as a feature film with the working title The English Warrior.

Pinner’s book is a raw, first-hand account of being an English soldier caught in the midst of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. After marrying a Ukrainian woman and joining the country’s military as a sniper instructor, Pinner found himself on the frontlines defending Mariupol. Outnumbered and outgunned by vastly superior Russian forces, Pinner was finally captured and held for months as a prisoner of war.

The book’s title comes from the message his wife gave Pinner in their final call before his capture, that he should “Live. Fight. Survive.”

Writer Edward “Chips” Hardy, who co-created the BBC/FX series Taboo with his son, actor Tom Hardy, and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, is attached to adapt PInner’s book for the screen.

“It’s an extraordinary story of human resilience from a war that is right on our doorstep,” said Hardy.

“I am very excited about the story coming to life on film,” said Pinner. “I set out initially to spread the word of how Ukrainian prisoners are being tortured and treated, and to highlight the suffering caused by Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The genocide being committed by Russia in places like Bucha, Irpin and my home, Mariupol, should never be forgotten, and I hope my story adds to the understanding of what is actually going on in Ukraine from a ground-level perspective and first-hand experience.”

Egor Olesov (Mr. Jones), Johannes Boesiger (The Forgotten), and Alexa Waugh (Three Day Millionaire) are producing the project for United Heroes.