With “The Rover” largely expected to hit Cannes next month, David Michôd is getting a pre-festival boost of confidence from none other than Brad Pitt.
Michôd has signed up to write and direct “The Operators,” based on the best-selling book by Michael Hastings, for Pitt’s Plan B (he’s also eyeing a starring role), New Regency and RatPac. The film will tell the true story of the rise and fall of General Stanley McChrystal, the commanding general of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, in a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of our military commanders, their high-stake maneuvers and the political firestorm that shook the United States. Indeed, it’s a tale of power and hubris, and the Amazon synopsis of the book provides an even better sense of what to expect:
A shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of our military commanders, their high-stake maneuvers, and the politcal firestorm that shook the United States.
In the shadow of the hunt for Bin Laden and the United States’ involvement in the Middle East, General Stanley McChrystal, the commanding general of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was living large. His loyal staff liked to call him a “rock star.” During a spring 2010 trip, journalist Michael Hastings looked on as McChrystal and his staff let off steam, partying and openly bashing the Obama administration. When Hastings’s article appeared in Rolling Stone, it set off a political firestorm: McChrystal was unceremoniously fired.
In The Operators, Hastings picks up where his Rolling Stone coup ended. From patrol missions in the Afghan hinterlands to senior military advisors’ late-night bull sessions to hotel bars where spies and expensive hookers participate in nation-building, Hastings presents a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of what he fears is an unwinnable war. Written in prose that is at once eye-opening and other times uncannily conversational, readers of No Easy Day will take to Hastings’ unyielding first-hand account of the Afghan War and its cast of players.
Sounds like great stuff, and something to keep an eye on. But for now, our attention is turned back to “The Rover,” which opens on June 13th.
