Patriotic War Book Heats Up Hollywood

Deadline Hollywood ^ | 08/16/07 | Nikki Finke

[Pikamax]

Patriotic War Book Heats Up Hollywood

lone-survivor.JPGI hear there's a frenzied Hollywood bidding war going on today over the No. 1 book on The New York Times non-fiction bestseller list: Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes Of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell. Studio toppers are interrupting their vacations to try to get this book which was sold to Little Brown by superagent Ed Victor for a seven figure advance. What's even more interesting is that liberal Hollywood is hot for this patriotic tell-all by a proud conservative.

According to The Washington Post review, it's the true story of American heroism and Afghani humanity, of morality vs survival. In June 2005, Petty Officer turned combat-trained Navy SEAL Luttrell led a four-man team into the mountains of Afghanistan on a mission to kill a Taliban leader thought to be allied with Osama bin Laden. On foot, the SEALs encountered two adult men and a teenage boy. A debate broke out as to whether the trio should be summarily executed to keep them from alerting the Taliban. Luttrell opted to spare the Afghanis' lives. About an hour later, the Taliban launched an attack that killed all the SEALs except Luttrell, who was sure that the three Afghanis he let go turned around and betrayed his team.

Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains until a village of Afghanis took him in and cared for him. Luttrell survived, returned home and received the Navy Cross for combat heroism from President Bush. "In this rich, moving chronicle of courage, honor, and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare -- and a tribute to his teammates, who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country," the Washington Post said. Come to think of it, this hot book does sound like a hell of a movie.

[PISANO]

I saw an interview of Petty Officer Luttrell, he is one fine young man, his parents must be proud and our nation needs more like him.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

According to The Washington Post review, it's the true story of American heroism and Afghani humanity, of morality vs survival.

And by the time Hollywood is done with it, it'll be something else. Hollywood's interest in a dramatic factual best-seller involving the current conflict in Afghanistan is hardly surprising - an industry which bases a large percentage of it's scripts on comic books is obviously starved for creative ideas. But by the time the script-writers, directors and actors have finished with it, it will be a different story with a message the real participants may not recognize, let alone agree with.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

It’s a pretty interesting book. It rips the liberal media.

[rbosque]

Yeah, he’ll end up being an evil guy who burned a villiage.

[fr_freak]

But by the time the script-writers, directors and actors have finished with it, it will be a different story with a message the real participants may not recognize, let alone agree with.

By the time the Hollywood script writers are done, the ambush will be a conspiracy which goes all the way up to the top - George W Bush. Oh, and they won't be Afghanis, they'll be neo-nazis.

[caveat emptor]

Thanks for the post. Never heard of it, but sounds like an interesting book. I've put in a request for it at my library.

I wouldn't expect Hollywood to do it justice. Take eg, Shooter. Sephen Hunter's writing is bad enough in dissing the US, but Antoine Fuqua (director) and Danny Glover (Hugo's pal) outdid even Hunter in trying to make the US and Swagger look bad.

[Pyncho]

The first Afghan- or Iraq-war supportive movie will do boffo at the box office and set Hollyweird on its ear. If the movie also rips the MSM, in no uncertain terms, everything will only be that much worse for HW insiders. I’d invest in such a venture anytime.

[LexBaird]

Or the travesty that was made of Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers”.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***By the time the Hollywood script writers are done, the ambush will be a conspiracy which goes all the way up to the top - George W Bush. Oh, and they won’t be Afghanis, they’ll be neo-nazis.***

And if they do decide to use AFGHANIS, the ambush will be because the SEALS massacred women and children first.

[Red6]

Sad but probably not far from true-

Born on the 4th of July, Platoon, Casualties of war, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket.......

Here’s the movie: The OIC is stupid. The NCO is abusive. Only minorities are doing the fighting. It’s all jungle. The hero is the cool-guy against the war. Everyone is drafted. The local government is corrupt and all the locals want to be oppressed by the freindly communists. All the soldiers are doing drugs. Did I miss something? Take a bunch of clichés rammed together into a 90 minute movie with a fatalistic ending.

I wonder what clichés will define Iraq?

[caveat emptor]

The first Afghan- or Iraq-war supportive movie will do boffo at the box office and set Hollyweird on its ear. If the movie also rips the MSM, in no uncertain terms, everything will only be that much worse for HW insiders. I’d invest in such a venture anytime.

Yeah. That's my take on why Hollywood is so hot to get it's hands on it. And I wouldn't count on it's ever becomming a movie.

[caveat emptor]

The first Afghan- or Iraq-war supportive movie will do boffo at the box office and set Hollyweird on its ear. If the movie also rips the MSM, in no uncertain terms, everything will only be that much worse for HW insiders. I’d invest in such a venture anytime.

Yeah. That's my take on why Hollywood is so hot to get it's hands on it. And I wouldn't count on it's ever becomming a movie.

[SShultz460]

Hell of a book, reccomend it to anyone

[Stonewall Jackson]

I'm heading over to Barnes and Noble in a few hours to pick up Armed America, I guess I'll have to add this to my list as well.

[freekitty]

Yep, if the book gets in liberal hands. It would be nice to have them follow the book; but chances are they won’t.

[skimask]

My question is...if Hollywood does decide to make a movie fromthe book, who will play the leading role?? Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Matt Damon???

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Anybody who understands the Hollywood movie development process will not be cheering.

Producers will hire a screenwriter. His work will be rewritten by someone else. Number three will be hired to rewrite numbers one and two...and so on

If a Big Actor is employed, he or she will demand the right to change things in the story to fit the tastes of Big Actor.

A bunch of no-talent corporate hacks and meddlers will demand endless changes until the story is unrecognizable. By the time the shooting script is ready, it won't even take place in Afghanistan. It could well become a chick flick with a female lead actor.

The motto in Hollywood is: "If the story in the book is perfect and doesn't need fixing, we'll fix it!"

The odds of a patriotic story of American heroes being left intact by leftist Hollywood are slim and none.

[Oldexpat]

We will see how they play this, but a lot of Good Men died trying to rescue them.

[SShultz460]

He addresses that in the book.

I tell you what, it was one of the better books I have read lately. I couldn’t put the damn thing down