Hollywood is set to making the Iraq and Middle East crisis picture clearer, for it is going to release six films about the turmoil in the region in a row.
Washington, June 16 : Hollywood is set to making the Iraq and Middle East crisis picture clearer, for it is going to release six films about the turmoil in the region in a row.
The films will be released between June and early next year in the wake of the 2008 presidential elections in U.S.
According to a source, the films highlight the truth about Iraq war, and will do well as people want to know the reality.
"People want to engage. People want films to be about something. We are living in dark times. They want films to reflect what's going on," Variety quoted the source, as saying.
Peter Berg's movie 'The Kingdom' starring Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, and Brooke Langton is expected to be released on September 28.
The Universal studio's 70 million dollar film follows the story of an elite team of U.S. government agents, led by FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury, who are sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in Saudi Arabia.
According to Berg, he was stuck by the 1996 attack on the Khobar Tower in Riyadh, and its investigation that found no proper evidence.
"The Saudi Royals had asked the FBI not to come because they did not want to appear to be losing control. It is inevitable, when something like this Middle East mess continues that filmmakers, authors, and songwriters will want to respond. Since the Iraq War body count had hit 2,000 and there was no end in sight, this film is a response to that," Berg said.
Paramount Vantage has two films lined up - Michael Winterbottom's 'A Mighty Heart' and 'The Kite Runner'.
'A Mighty Heart' is based on 2003 memoir, written by Mariane Pearl, widow of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl and stars Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman as Daniel Pearl and Archie Panjabi.
Marc Forster directed 'The Kite Runner' is based on David Benioff's screenplay of Afghanistan author Khaled Hosseini's global bestseller by the same name.
Warner Independent Pictures will reportedly come out in September with 'In the Valley of Elah', starring Tommy Lee Jones as an officer searching for his son who did not return from the Iraq War.
Weinstein Co. will release its Sundance pickup "Grace Is Gone," in the fall, which is starring John Cusack as a soldier posted Stateside who does not want to tell his two daughters that their sergeant mother has died in Iraq.The film has won the Audience Award for Drama at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
United Artists is set to release its 35 million dollar Robert Redford directed film 'Lions for Lambs' starring Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, and Robert Redford in November.
The film is based on a platoon of soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, a senator, a reporter, and a college professor.
Universal is set to open Mike Nichols and Aaron Sorkin's film adaptation of George Crile's nonfiction book 'Charlie Wilson's War; on Dec. 25.
The film will be starring Tom Hanks as the Texas congressman who conspired with a rogue CIA operative named Gust Avrakotos to launch an operation to help the Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
However, Paramount Pictures has not yet set the release date of Kimberly Peirce's 'Stop-Loss', starring Ryan Phillippe.
The film centres on the true story of Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King, a soldier who makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty and is called to duty again in Iraq through the military's 'stop-loss'.
ANI