The big screen adventure thriller Everest features an all-star cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley. As the title suggests, the film follows a climbing expedition to the peak of the world’s highest mountain. The climb goes from challenging to harrowing when a devastating blizzard hits.

The movie is based on the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster as chronicled in several books, including Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, which was adapted for a 1997 TV movie (Into Thin Air: Death on Everest). The filmmakers on this upcoming Universal production also used information provided by survivors of the catastrophe.

Reaching the top of Mt. Everest is the ultimate goal for many adventurers, but it is a dangerous feat. Over 200 people have lost their lives attempting the climb. This film focuses on the tragedy that befell one particular group of climbers and the triumph of those who survived.

Also starring are James Brolin (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), Emily Watson (The Theory of Everything), Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Sam Worthington (Avatar.)

The film was directed by Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur, whose most recent work includes the 2013 Denzel Washington-Mark Wahlberg action comedy 2 Guns.

The screenplay was written by William Nicholson (Unbroken) and Justin Isbell, who is making his feature film screenwriting debut. Other writers credited are Simon Beaufoy (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Lem Dobbs (The Company You Keep) and Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God).

Everest will premiere in 2D, 3D and 3D IMAX Sept. 18.