On Christmas Eve, a young Royal Air Force pilot flying home across the North Sea finds himself in peril when his radio and electric power cut out, leaving him stranded and running on limited fuel. Just when it appears his luck is about to run out, a mysterious good Samaritan guides him to safety. That’s the premise of “The Shepherd,” a new Disney+ short film starring Ben Radcliffe, Steven Mackintosh, and Academy Award Nominee John Travolta—the Disney+ original short film streams on December 1.
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“The Shepherd” is based on the novella by the acclaimed author Frederick Forsyth CBE (“The Day of the Jackal”). The short was written and directed by Iain Softley (“The Wings of the Dove”) and produced by five-time Academy Award-winner Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”) in collaboration with Esperanto Filmoj and his long-time Academy Award-nominated producing partner, Gabriela Rodriguez (“Gravity”), as well as Bill Kenwright’s (“The Critic”) BK Studios and Richard Johns’ (“Shadow of the Vampire”) ArgoFilms. “The Shepherd” from Disney Branded Television will stream globally on Disney+ on December 1.
The short film is the second collaboration between Cuarón and Disney+ following last year’s “Le Pupille” from director Alice Rohrwacher, which was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards. “The Shepherd” continues to build out Cuarón’s holiday-themed collection on the streamer. It brings to life a much-loved tale written by English novelist Frederick Forsyth that was previously adapted for stage and radio but never before seen on-screen.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“The Shepherd” follows the story of a young RAF pilot, played by Ben Radcliffe (“Pandora”), flying home across the North Sea on Christmas Eve. He finds himself in peril when his radio and electric power cut out, leaving him stranded and running on limited fuel. Just when it appears his luck is about to run out, a mysterious good Samaritan, played by Travolta (“Pulp Fiction”), appears above the fog below him and the story takes an unexpected turn. In Softley’s words, “the story becomes one of a man’s survival that takes him both deep within himself and into mysterious encounters.”
“I was a long-time admirer of this story and, being old friends with Iain, he was the perfect match to bring this beloved narrative to life on film for the first time,” said Cuarón in a statement. “After the success of last year’s short, Oscar-nominated’ Le Pupille,’ and working with director Alice Rohrwacher, it’s really inspiring to be building out a collection of short films that celebrate the season with such talented filmmakers who each bring their own unique vision and cinematic style.”
It’s interesting to see the words Alfonso Cuarón and Disney+ in the same sentence, much less the same project, but hey, if it’s as attractive as “Le Pupille,” which obviously afforded Rohrwacher a great opportunity, why not? Watch the new trailer below.