MGM has bought the U.S. rights of Guy Ritchie’s next film, an untitled movie about Afghanistan war that will star Jake Gyllenhaal. An individual who was informed of the deal stated that MGM had acquired them.
Amazon Prime Video has also taken the majority of the film’s international rights from STX International, which handled sales on the film and first presented it to buyers at AFM under the title “The Interpreter.” The film is pursuing a hybrid release strategy of both a domestic theatrical rollout and a streaming component that gave Ritchie and his partners more creative and financial control over the film’s distribution.
Filming is now expected to begin on Ritchie’s project on Jan. 24 in Spain, with additional casting set to be revealed soon.
Gyllenhaal will portray a sergeant who is on his final tour of duty and is paired with a local interpreter to survey the area. When their unit is ambushed on patrol, he and the interpreter are the only survivors, and the interpreter ends up risking his life to carry Gyllenhaal’s character across miles of grueling terrain to safety. When the sergeant finds out that his hero has not been granted passage to America, the film begins again on U.S. soil. He’s now determined to repay his debt and protect his friend and family before the local militias reach them first.
Ritchie will direct the film from a script that he co-wrote along with Marn Davies and Ivan Atkinson. Ritchie and Atkinson are also producing the film via their Toff Guys production banner alongside Josh Berger and STXfilms’ John Friedberg. Yandex-owned Kinopoisk will be executive producing the film. This marks the first time that a Russian streaming site has been involved in co-financing a global film directed by a leading international director.
“Jake Gyllenhaal is a fantastic talent. At last I have found a perfect project on which we can collaborate,”Ritchie stated this in a statement.
“This will be our third collaboration with Guy and STX is proud to be in a position to support extraordinary filmmakers like him, especially when working with such strong material – I’m thrilled that we were able to put this film together alongside Ivan and Josh,”Friedberg agreed.
“Guy Ritchie is one of the most beloved directors in Russia. Supporting a top global filmmaker with a massive following in Russia is a key strategic step for Kinopoisk as we commence developing and co-producing international projects. We are excited to begin our relationship with Guy, Josh and Ivan on such an important film,”In a statement, Olga Filipuk from Kinopoisk stated.
MGM and United Artists Releasing previously released Ritchie’s “Wrath of Man,”It grossed $103 million in the world early last year. STX teamed up with Ritchie to produce his next film. “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre,”This film stars Hugh Grant, Jason Statham, and is in theaters March 18.
DeadlineThe news was first reported.