Into the Wild is a 2007 American biographical adventure drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Sean Penn. The movie adapts Jon Krakauer's 1996 non-fiction book and follows Christopher McCandless, who journeyed across North America into Alaska's wilderness during the early 1990s. Emile Hirsch stars as McCandless, alongside Hal Holbrook and Catherine Keener. The film debuted at the 2007 Rome Film Fest before its September 21, 2007 release near Fairbanks, Alaska.