James Gandolfini’s role in Zero Dark Thirty has been revealed

The secrecy surrounding Kathryn Bigelow’s ZERO DARK THIRTY is beginning to loosen up as we are learning more and more about the scope of the film. The big reveal today comes courtesy of Entertainment Weekly who revealed the first look at James Gandolfini in character as CIA chief Leon Panetta.

Panetta, who is currently the Secretary of Defense, was a key figure in the events that led up to the capture and death of Osama bin Laden. Gandolfini will portray him and may very well be the highest ranking US official we see in the movie. Screenwriter Mark Boal stated that Barack Obama would not be a character in the movie as to avoid the film being perceived as a partisan campaign tool for his re-election.

ZERO DARK THIRTY will not primarily focus on the Navy SEALs who actually carried out the raid in Pakistan, but rather on the many intelligence analysts, operatives, and military personnel who spent years tracking the al-Qaeda leader following the Sept. 11 attacks.

In addition to Gandolfini, ZERO DARK THIRTY also features Jessica Chastain, Joel and Nash Edgerton, Kyle Chandler, Mark Strong, Jason Clarke, Harold Perrineau, Edgar Ramirez, Jennifer Ehle and Mark Duplass. It is scheduled for release on December 19th.