Jake Gyllenhaal is teaming with Extraction director Sam Hargrave for a new war movie titled Combat Control in development at MGM.
The film will tell the story of Medal Honor recipient John Chapman, a soldier awarded the medal fifteen years after his death when his heroic acts were finally brought to light. Chapman died in battle on March 4, 2002, in Afghanistan, after sacrificing his own life to guarantee the safety of his team during a rescue mission.
Without any eyewitnesses that could testify to events, the details of his death remained uncertain. It took 15 years for his heroic feats to be investigated and revealed by Air Force Captain Cora Alexander, which lead to the posthumous promotion of Chapman to the rank of Master Seargent and his inclusion into the Hall of Heroes.
Gyllenhaal hasn’t appeared in too many war films, Jarhead aside, but he does excel at playing real people. Whether it’s Robert Graysmith in Zodiac, Jeff Bauman in Stronger or Scott Fischer in Everest, he’s taken a liking to playing real people who become unwittingly well known. So playing Chapman is right up his alley.
Hargrave’s involvement is exciting too. He’s an acclaimed stunt coordinator known for his work in several MCU movies and was also second unit director on The Mandalorian. His success there led to him directing Extraction, which was praised for its action sequences on the way to briefly becoming Netflix’s most-watched movie.
So a true story of a war hero + Gyllenhaal’s acting prowess + Hargrave’s experience with stunt and action sequences should equal a pretty good time. We don’t yet know how much of Chapman’s story the film will adapt, but we’ll wait for more information to arrive.
Gyllenhaal has the American remake of German thriller The Guilty lined up, plus a voice role in animated film Spirit Untamed. He’s also currently filming Michael Bay‘s action-thriller Ambulance. As for Hargrave, an Extraction sequel is already in the works and he is on board to return and direct.
#Peace.Love.CombatControl
