Universal Pictures has scooped up an untitled original pitch from George Nolfi that paves the way for a fact-based Afghanistan evacuation film. The drama has already signed Tom Hardy (Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Inception) and Channing Tatum (Free Guy, 21 Jump Street) to star.
According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, the story is based on recently reported true stories, this one focusing on three former special forces team members who jump back into the fray alongside their Afghan counterparts, to rescue families and allies left behind amid the rapid fall of Afghanistan last August.
In addition to their starring roles, Hardy and Tatum will also produce alongside Jules Daly. Reid Carolin and Peter Kiernan of Free Association will also produce, with Nolfi executive producing.
Hardy’s next film, Havoc, is currently in post-production. Directed and written by Gareth Evans (The Raid: Redemption), the story is set after a drug deal gone wrong, when a bruised detective must fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son. During the battle, a deep web of corruption is revealed that ensnares the detective’s entire city.
As for Tatum, he recently completed work on The Lost City. Also starring Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, and Daniel Radcliffe, The Lost City tells the comedic tale of a reclusive romance novelist on a book tour who, alongside her cover model, gets swept up in a kidnapping attempt that lands them both in a cutthroat jungle adventure. Aaron and Adam Nee direct from a screenplay written they wrote with Oren Uziel and Dana Fox.
Details about the George Nolfi-scripted Afghanistan evacuation film are scarce at this time, though we’ll be sure to bring you more details as they come about.