Pierce Brosnan to star as Northern Irish WWII veteran in D-Day drama The Last Rifleman

Pierce Brosnan is set to star as Artie Crawford, a recently widowed WWII veteran residing in a care home in Northern Ireland who heads to France for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June 2014.

The Last Rifleman is inspired by World War II veteran Bernard Jordan, who escaped his care home in East Sussex at the age of 89 and boarded a bus to Portsmouth before getting on a ferry to Normandy.

Jordan wanted to pay his final respects to his late comrades who died on the beaches of France.

The film has been written by Kevin Fitzpatrick and will be directed by Mickeybo and Me creative Terry Loane, according to Variety and Deadline.

“Bernard Jordan’s daring journey caught the nation’s attention and highlighted the spirit that epitomised the Second World War generation," Fitzpatrick said.

"I was enthralled by this story and the motives that drive a man near the end of his life on a quest to a place that must hold only painful memories.”

“With the recent anniversary of the end of WWII, I feel the timing is perfect to tell this story, while an ever-diminishing handful of veterans are still with us to share their lives,” director Terry Loane said.