Guy Ritchie’s next film project has landed at MGM and Amazon for its U.S. and international distribution. The project was announced last year and Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in it. The action film still doesn’t have a title, but the first story details have been revealed!
The movie is an Afgan war film and Gyllenhaal will play Sgt. John Kinley, “who is on his last tour of duty in Afghanistan when he is teamed with local interpreter Ahmed to survey the region. When their unit is ambushed on patrol, Kinley and Ahmed are the only survivors, and with enemy combatants in pursuit, Ahmed risks his life to carry an injured Kinley across miles of grueling terrain to safety. Back on U.S. soil, Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given passage to America as promised. Determined to protect his friend and repay his debt, Kinley returns to the warzone to retrieve Ahmed and his family before the local militias reach them first.”
This is a different kind of story and subject matter for Ritchie to take on. I’ve been a fan of Ritchie’s work since I first saw Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, and over the course of his career he’s made all kinds of different movies and played with various genres. I’m excited to see what he will end up doing with this one.
Ritchie said in a statement, “Jake Gyllenhaal is a fantastic talent. At last I have found a perfect project on which we can collaborate.”
STX’s John Friedberg commented, “This will be our third collaboration with Guy and STX is proud to be in a position to support extraordinary filmmakers like him, especially when working with such strong material – I’m thrilled that we were able to put this film together alongside Ivan and Josh.”
Producer Olga Filipuk added, “Guy Ritchie is one of the most beloved directors in Russia. Supporting a top global filmmaker with a massive following in Russia is a key strategic step for Kinopoisk as we commence developing and co-producing international projects. We are excited to begin our relationship with Guy, Josh and Ivan on such an important film.”
The action thriller has a $55M budget and filming is due to get underway on January 24 in Alicante, Spain, with additional casting set to be revealed soon. Ritchie will direct from a script he co-wrote with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies.