Deadline reports there are a pair of films in development centering on recently released Taliban POW Bowe Bergdahl, one with The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty duo Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal and another from Todd Field (Little Children) directing based on the “Rolling Stone” article “America’s Last Prisoner of War” written by the late Michael Hastings.
The film with Field attached is set up at Fox Searchlight while the other is being set up at Boal’s Megan Ellison-supported production house Page One, giving Ellison’s Annapurna a first look at Boal’s screenplay once completed.
That said, it sounds to me like the adaptation of the Hastings article would be the most likely to go into production first, considering it’s based on an article and may not take current events into consideration. I have a hard time believing Boal would have a screenplay finished until all the information was on the table, though I’m sure Zero Dark Thirty detractors would insist such behavior is his M.O.
Personally, seeing Bergdahl’s story on the big screen is about as interesting as turning on CNN, Fox and MSNBC just to hear them make shit up to talk about all day. That said, I wish Bigelow would get away from adapting controversial true stories and tackle something a little lighter. I know that’s not an entirely fair statement, but I’d love to see the director of Point Break deliver something along those lines once again.
In fact, if you must stick to this politically driven, controversial angle, instead of either of these movies I’d rather see a story on Michael Hastings, make that happen Bigelow, Boal and Ellison.
