Well this is one hell of a package: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford director Andrew Dominik helming a true story Navy SEAL adventure called War Party, starring Tom Hardy, produced by Ridley Scott. That’s what was on the table for buyers, and as you can imagine, a bidding war broke out amongst studios like Amazon, Universal, and Lionsgate. In the end Netflix secured the rights (surprise surprise) for seven figures, and this film is now well on its way towards becoming a reality.
Details are being kept under lock and key, but THR reports that film is described as an adventure project and is based on true events, centering on real life Navy SEALS—life rights were part of the deal. Dominik is co-writing the script with newcomer Harrison Query, while Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Films will produce.
Dominik is a fantastically ambitious director, so we can rest assured this won’t be your typical war drama. He recently helmed the divisive drama Killing Them Softly, which starred Brad Pitt and was sold as a hitman story, but in actuality was a scathing critique of American capitalism. Dominik’s work is incisive, from his debut film Chopper to the poetic Assassination of Jesse James, and he most recently directed the Nick Cave documentary Once More with Feeling. He’s been developing a Marilyn Monroe film called Blonde for a few years now, but with War Party picking up traction it sounds like that’s getting pushed back once again.
Hardy, meanwhile, is fresh off his FX drama series Taboo which he stars in and co-created with his father Chips Hardy. The show was recently renewed for a second season, so he has to fit that into his schedule, and he’s next gearing up to shoot Fonzo, the next film from Fantastic Four director Josh Trank in which Hardy plays Al Capone. He’s also set to co-star in the international thriller Triple Frontier, so that’s a full plate indeed.
Regardless, Netflix has been making serious moves on the feature film front lately. Not content to simply be a leader in original TV series, the streaming service recently hired former Universal Pictures president Scott Stuber to oversee their original film slate. War Party is merely the latest in a series of big projects Netflix has greenlit, including the upcoming fantasy blockbuster Bright and the Pitt-fronted satire War Machine.
