On September 16, 2007, a private military outfit called Blackwater were approached by a Iraqi civilian driving inside a car. When the civilian refused to make way for their security detail, the troupe opened fire, killing 14 Iraqi citizens and injuring 20 more.
Now, this tragic event that served a key role in the Iraq war is coming to the big screen.
Early reports have indicated that Kieran Darcy-Smith, actor-director who starred in Animal Kingdom and who wrote and directed Wish You Were Here is being helmed to direct this political-drama-thriller, with “Newsroom” writer Gideon Yago currently set to write the screenplay. Little else is known about this small project other than that it would mostly likely focus on former Navy SEAL Erik Prince, who founded the private outfit in 1997 and remained as the head until he sold it in 2010, where its name was changed to Academi.
Like I said, details on the project are strictly limited and not a lot is known about it. I will, however, say a few things on this project though.
First of all, its important to note how controversial this event was, and how much it strained U.S.-Iraq relations. The military outfit open fire on many Iraq citizens, claiming that they were ambushed and fired in defense. The Iraqi government responded by saying that the attacks were unprovoked, and the FBI concluded that in the attacks, at least 14 were shot without cause. Blackwater left a horrible scar on Iraq since that day, a mark that has stayed with them throughout the Iraq war all the way up until now.
My biggest concern with this is not that this movie is getting made. My concern is it being done right with it not seeming like bias or propaganda. If they show the early formation of the Blackwater organization and it’s creation, great, but if and when they come to that point of time in the film where this event happened, they’re going to need to portray it and they’re going to need it portrayed well. I don’t want this to be skipped over, and I don’t want it to be a slight-of-hand sort of maneuver. I want this to be covered and I want the filmmakers to do the situations and emotions justice to what happened in real life.
That’s just my two cents, but there’s no telling what direction they’re going to go in with this project. Like I said, the project is being kept tightly under wraps, so everything at this point can only be speculation.
What do you guys think? Are you excited that this project is getting picked up, or would you rather it be kept in the classified files?
Comment below, let me know.
-David Dunn
SOURCE: Deadline, Cinemablend
DAVID DUNN 