MGM and Amazon have struck deals for U.S. and international rights, respectively, to the upcoming untitled Jake Gyllenhaal action war film set in Afghanistan that has Guy Ritchie attached to direct.
The film will cost around $55 million to make, and will see Gyllenhaal playing Sgt. John Kinley, a man 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, 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.
Once 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.
Amazon have reportedly put up more than 50% of the budget, with Prime Video picking up rights in Europe, Australia, Canada, Latin America, and South Africa, and also has the post-theatrical window in the U.S. MGM have a traditional theatrical window in the U.S. and will release via its United Artists Releasing banner.
Ritchie will also co-write the script alongside frequent collaborator Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. He said in a statement: “Jake Gyllenhaal is a fantastic talent. At last I have found a perfect project on which we can collaborate.”
Gyllenhaal is coming off Antoine Fuqua‘s American remake of Danish thriller The Guilty, and will soon be see in Michael Bay‘s thriller Ambulance, which hits cinemas on Friday, April 8. Ritchie released heist film Wrath Of Man in 2021 and is currently filming The Interpreter.
Expect to see more and more hybrid deals like this emerge in a quickly evolving distribution landscape for movies. Despite most filmmakers and producers wanting traditional theatrical releases for their films, streamers can often offer deals that are too good to turn down.
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