Gerard Butler is one of Hollywood's busiest and best action stars, having battled a weather satellite in Geostorm, acted as an agent against terrorist assaults in the Has Fallen trilogy, and not to mention his recent appearance in Plane. Even though his most recent film was only released a month ago, Gerard Butler is already gearing up to captivate us all over again this summer with the movie Kandahar.
Kandahar's story is thought to be based on the writer Mitchell LaFortune's personal experiences as a military intelligence officer in Afghanistan during the Snowden leaks in 2013. Mitchell sold his spec script (also known as speculative screenplay) Burn Run to Thunder Road Films, and the film was renamed Kandahar in June 2020. Production began in December 2021, with the majority of the filming taking place in Saudi Arabia, and finished in January 2022. With that said, here's everything we know about Kandahar, one of the year's most anticipated action films.
Kandahar: The Plot
Kandahar's story is based on the personal experiences of a former military intelligence officer and takes place during the 2013 Snowdown leaks. The plot revolves around Tom Harris, an undercover CIA operative sent to Afghanistan to dismantle a nuclear weapon that, if left unchecked, can wipe out an entire city. Even though he succeeds, his cover is blown due to an intelligence leak, and Afghanistan's elite forces are hell-bent on chasing him down.
Tom Harris, together with the local interpreter who guides him through the countryside, has a new mission: flee to an old CIA base in Kandahar specified as an extraction point. Nevertheless, the distance between the two places is over 400 miles, and it would take him more than thirty hours to arrive at his destination. With numerous threats lurking around every corner, the duo must struggle for survival while making it to the intended extraction spot on time.
While the heart-racing teaser only gives us a basic understanding of the premise, the official summary of Kandahar reads as follows:
"Tom Harris, an undercover CIA operative, is stuck deep in hostile territory in Afghanistan. When an intelligence leak exposes his identity and mission, he must fight his way out, alongside his Afghan translator, to an extraction point in Kandahar, all whilst avoiding the elite special forces unit tasked with hunting them down."
It has the feel of a conventional CIA mission but with a twist in the story that lends a lot of tension throughout the film. Knowing that the script was written by an expert who has engaged in these perilous missions, we may expect a well-crafted action movie.
Kandahar: The Cast & Crew
The casting was announced in June 2020 while the film was still in the early stages of development. Gerard Butler will play the leading role of Tom Harris, an undercover CIA agent. With movies like 300, Geostorm, and the Has Fallen trilogy, the Scottish-born actor has established himself as a go-to performer for these kinds of action roles. His most well-known works include Law Abiding Citizen, The Phantom of the Opera, The Bounty Hunter, and Copshop.
Navid Negahban, an Iranian-American actor, plays the Afghan translator who assists Gerard Butler's Tom Harris on the mission. He is most recognized for his appearances in Aladdin as Sultan, 12 Strong as General Dostum, Homeland as Abu Nazir, and The Serpent Queen as Duke of Guise. In addition, Travis Fimmel, best known for his portrayal as Ragnar Lothbrok in Vikings, will make a brief cameo in Kandahar as the secret spy who informs Tom Harris about the mission.
In addition to Vikings, he is well-known for his TV shows and movies such as Warcraft, Raised by Wolves, The Baytown Outlaws, and Lean on Pete. While these are a few of the movie's most prominent actors, here's a peek at the supporting cast members: Bahador Foladi as Farzad Asadi, Olivia-Mai Barrett as Ida Harris, Rebecca Calder as Corrine Harris, Hakeem Jomah as Rasoul, Tom Rhys Harries as Oliver Altman, Ray Haratian as Ismail Rabbani, and Corey Johnson as Chris Hoyt.
Ric Roman Waugh, who previously worked with Gerard Butler on Greenland, directed Kandahar. Shot Caller, Angel Has Fallen, and National Champions are among his other significant works. As previously stated, Mitchell LaFortune wrote the script, and he is making his debut in the industry with this film, as well as three other upcoming projects, Last Breath, War Face, and Split Second, which will hopefully earn him recognition as a writer.
The music for the film will be composed by David Buckley, a Primetime Emmy nominee renowned for his famous works The Sandman, Jason Bourne, The Good Fight, and The Lincoln Lawyer. While Brendon Boyea, Gerard Butler, Basil Iwanyk, Scott LaStaiti, Christian Mercuri, and Alan Siegel are producing the film, Stuart Sutherland will serve as a co-producer in association with the production companies Thunder Road Pictures, G-Base, Capstone Studios, and MBC Studios.
Release Date
Kandahar, one of the year's most anticipated action films, is slated to hit theaters on May 26, 2023, with Open Road Films serving as distributors.