Filming has begun for upcoming Guy Ritchie film. Currently untitled, the action film stars Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role. In an exclusive with Deadline, it was reported that filming was taking place in Alicante, Spain. When Gyllenhaal’s casting was announced in October, the film was reportedly dubbed The Interpreter, however, this title has since been rescinded.
With a reported budget of $55 million, the untitled war film will see Gyllenhaal as Sergeant John Kinley, a former soldier who must return to the Afghanistan war zone to save the life of interpreter and friend Ahmed (played by Dar Salim), whose family was denied safe passage into the US. With enemy combatants also looking for Ahmed, it’s a race against time as Kinley attempts to repay Ahmed for saving his life on a previous tour.
Joining Gyllenhaal and Salim in undisclosed roles are Alexander Ludwig (Hunger Games), Antony Star (The Boys), Jason Wong (Strangers), Bobby Schofield (Anne), Sean Sagar (The Gentleman), and Emily Beecham (Cruella). Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson, and Marn Davies are credited as scriptwriters, with Atkinson set to produce alongside Ritchie, Josh Berger, and John Friedberg from STXfilms. Olga Filipuk and Samantha Waite act as executive producers.
“This will be our third collaboration with Guy,” Stated Friedberg, “STX is proud to be in a position to support extraordinary filmmakers like him, especially when working with such strong material – I’m thrilled that we were able to put this film together alongside Ivan and Josh." Ritchie added, "Jake Gyllenhaal is a fantastic talent. At last I have found a perfect project on which we can collaborate.”
And just in time too, as Gyllenhaal is set to add many projects to his filmography in the upcoming year. Fresh from 2021 crime thriller The Guilty, Gyllenhaal is out to dominate the big screen. Starring projects like Michael Bay’s Ambulance, a film production of musical Fun Home (of which he will also produce), a biographical film chronically the creation of The Godfather and a crime miniseries Combat Control, where he will portray a military airman, Gyllenhaal is guaranteed to be hard at work for the upcoming year.
The film currently has no release date. Due to a deal with STX, MGM Studios will handle domestic distribution of the film. Conversely, the untitled Ritchie film will release via Amazon Prime for international markets.