Eternal badassGerard Butleris something of a one-man army, and now he’s set to star in the action thrillerKandahar, which will reunite him withRic Roman Waugh, the director ofAngel Has Fallenand Butler’s upcoming movieGreenland.
Waugh willdirect from a script he co-wrote with former military intelligence officerMitchell LaFortune, and the story is based on LaFortune’s experiences at the Defense Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan during the time of theEdward Snowdenleaks.
Butler will star as Tom Harris, an undercover CIA operative working in the Middle East when his covert identity and classified mission are revealed by a dangerous intelligence leak. Stuck in the heart of hostile territory, Harris and his translator must fight their way out of the desert to an extraction point in Kandahar while eluding the elite special forces hunting them.
Butler and his managerAlan Siegelwill produce under their G-BASE banner along withBasil IwanykandErica Leeof Thunder Road Films, as well asChristian Mercuriof Capstone Group.Rob Moranwill executive produce alongsideBrendon BoyeaandJonathan Fuhrman.Kandaharis expected to be filming on location in the Middle East.
CAA Media Finance arranged the financing and will represent the film’s U.S. rights, while Capstone will co-finance the project and handle international sales at the virtual Cannes market.
Thunder Road, which is also behind theJohn WickandSicariofranchises, acquired LaFortune’s original screenplay back in 2016.Kandaharreunites Iwanyk with Butler and Waugh, who recently teamed on STX’s upcoming thrillerGreenland,which is slated to hit theaters on Aug. 14. Waugh also directed Butler inAngel Has Fallen, the third film in theFallenfranchise that was a major improvement over its predecessor,London Has Fallen.
“We are so thrilled to be able to bring theGreenlandband back together again. Mitch’s script has always been a jewel in our slate, and to have this team bring it to life is a dream come true for us," Iwanyk said in a statement.
Waugh is a former stuntman who wrote and directed the 2008 indieFelonstarringStephen DorffandVal Kilmer. From there, Waugh went on to directDwayne Johnsonin the action thrillerSnitch, where he also worked withJon BernthalandBenjamin Bratt. The latter duo went on to co-star in Waugh’s best film, 2017’s excellent prison dramaShot CallerstarringNikolaj Coster-Waldau. I love that movie, and for what it’s worth, I thinkGreenlandlooks pretty interesting, too, so I look forward to seeing what Waugh and Butler cook up the third time around. The premise forKandaharcertainly sounds familiar, so here’s hoping Waugh will find a way to make it more memorable.
Butler always has a few action thrillers in the works, as he’s also attached to star in STX’sRemote Control, and the indie movieThe PlanefromTransformersproducerLorenzo di Bonaventura. Click the links above for more on those projects.
