Tom Hardy's a busy guy, so busy that when Sony decided to begin shooting Doug Liman's Everest in March, the actor was forced to bow out because of other commitments. Now, Deadline reports, the race is on to find his replacement.

Based on Jeffrey Archer’s book Paths of Glory, the film centers on George Mallory, who attempted to climb the mountain three times in the 1920s. Whether he actually succeeded remains a mystery, but he didn't come down until his body was recovered in 1999.

With Hardy out, Sony is looking at a variety of actors to star as Mallory and his Australian rival George Finch. The list of potential players includes Benedict Cumberbath, Joel Kinnaman, James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, Luke Evans, Dan Stevens, Matthew Goode and Jim Sturgess.

One of the reasons Sony is said to be eyeing that March start date is to catch up with Universal Pictures' own Everest-based film that focuses on a different harrowing adventure on the mountain. That one just had co-financing pulled and is looking to get someone else on board so it can hit a proposed November start date.