Angelina Jolie Directs New 'Unbroken' Film Based on Late Christian World War II Hero and Olympian Louis Zamperini (TRAILER VIDEO)

World-renowned actress Angelina Jolie has recently directed a film titled Unbroken based on the life of her late friend and neighbor Louis Zamperini, a former Christian Olympian who was a POW during World War 2.

"We are all so grateful for how enriched our lives are for having known him," said Jolie in a statement after the passing of the 97-year-old American hero on July 2, 2014, "We will miss him terribly."

Jolie's upcoming movie stars Jack O'Connell as Zamperini, a former Olympic track star who was tortured for over two years inside a Japanese prison after surviving a plane crash when he was an army pilot during the Second World War.

Zamperini's chief tormentor inside the POW camp was Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe, a sadistic man who found pleasure in making people suffer excruciating pain (especially Zamperini). The role of "The Bird" will be played by Japanese singer and guitarist Miyavi in the upcoming film.

After suffering PTSD from the war, he would go on to receive a hero's welcome when he returned to America. He would later accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior after attending a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles in 1949. As a result, he forgave his former tormentors because of his new-found faith.

In 2010, famed Seabiscuit: An American Legend writer Laura Hillenbrand wrote the Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, which gave Zamperini some media attention prior to Jolie announcing she would direct the movie based on the life of a man who persevered all obstacles on-and-off the track field.

"Having overcome insurmountable odds at every turn in his life, Olympic runner and World War II hero Louis Zamperini has never broken down from a challenge. He recently faced the greatest challenge of his life with a life-threatening case of pneumonia. After a 40-day long battle for his life, he peacefully passed away in the presence of his entire family, leaving behind a legacy that has touched so many lives. His indomitable courage and fighting spirit were never more apparent than in these last days," said Zamperini's family in a statement a week ago.

The Unbroken film is expected to arrive in theaters on Christmas Day, 2014.