With a few films in the subgenre already under his belt, Jake Gyllenhaal is returning to the world of military dramas as he is set to star in Combat Control with Extraction helmer Sam Hargrave set in the director’s chair and MGM in talks to acquire the package, according to Deadline.
Based on Dan Schilling and Lori Chapman Longfritz’ New York Times bestselling novel Alone at Dawn, the plot is based on the true story of Air Force Combat Control Technician John Chapman as he is killed in battle in 2002 during the War in Afghanistan and 15 years after his death, Air Force Captain Cora Alexander begins a Medal of Honor investigation to determine the details regarding hat happened on the snowy mountainside Chapman died on and whether he’s a worthy recipient. With no eyewitnesses to his actions and the top-secret world surrounding clandestine operations, Alexander has a difficult task ahead of her to uncover the truth while also forging her own path to self-forgiveness and personal redemption.
Click here to purchase Schilling and Chapman Longfritz’ novel!
Gyllenhaal is set to star as Chapman, who was award the Medal of Honor in August 2018 and whose story and the details surrounding the work of Combat Controllers was allowed to come out to the public by the U.S. government. The film marks the Oscar nominee’s fifth film dealing with a member of the military or US government after 2005’s Jarhead, 2007’s Rendition, 2009’s Brothers and 2011’s Source Code.
Combat Control is being co-financed by Hideaway Entertainment with the label’s CEO Jonathan Gray, President Matthew Rhodes and VP Kristy Graham all attached to produce alongside Thruline Entertainment’s Ron West, who brought the manuscript to Hideaway ahead of its publishing, while Gyllenhaal and Hideaway’s Ryan Cassells will serve as executive producer and Hargrave’s longtime collaborator Shelby Malone set as associate producer. The film marks a reunion on with Gyllenhaal and Rhodes previously working together on the Oscar-nominated Nightcrawler, when the latter served as President of Bold Films.
Gyllenhaal currently has an exciting dance card of projects in the works, currently filming the Michael Bay-helmed actioner Ambulance alongside Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) and currently set to reunite with Denis Villeneuve for a third time with the HBO series The Son after Prisoners and Enemy and having recently reunited with Southpaw director Antoine Fuqua for the Netflix crime thriller The Guilty, which finished filming in the winter and slated for a late 2021 release.
(Photo Credits: Getty Images)
