Universal moves “Lone Survivor” into Oscar race slot

A movie that tells the story of the helicopter crash that killed Boulder City graduate and Navy SEAL Shane Patton will be released in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 27 to take advantage of the Oscar season.

“Lone Survivor” is scheduled for wide release Jan. 10. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell, the only survivor of the 2005 fierce firefight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Patton was among a group of SEAL killed in a helicopter crash during the rescue Marcus Luttrell (who is portrayed by Wahlberg).

Luttrell’s book “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10” was released in 2007. The movie was directed by Peter Berg, whose previous work included 2004’s “Friday Night Lights” and last year’s “Battleship.”

Patton is being portrayed in the film by Alexander Ludwig, a Canadian-born actor who was in last year’s “The Hunger Games.”