Over the past few weeks, there’s been a flurry of activity with Oscar-winner Brad Pitt and his future projects as a producer and actor. Allegedly, he’s circling a World War II-era romantic thriller, and he’s planning to produce a film about the hacker at the center of the Steubenville rape case. As a producer, Brad (to his credit) has always been attracted to smaller passion projects and unconventional stuff, and I’ve been looking forward to seeing how he parlays his Oscar win into more interesting producing and starring projects. And here’s the big one I was waiting for: Brad has signed on to play General Stanley McChrystal, the former commander of the Afghanistan war.
Brad Pitt is locking in yet another war flick on his list of films. Angelina Jolie’s handsome significant other is going to star as Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the former commanding general of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, in the upcoming movie The Operators, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The military drama will be written and directed by Australian director David Michod, who was behind the indie film Animal Kingdom a few ago, and will be based off of journalist Michael Hastings‘ 2012 book The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan.
McChrystal made headlines when he was fired in 2010 after making some controversial remarks in a Rolling Stone profile by the late Michael Hastings, in which General McChrystal and his staff criticized administration officials, the president and his advisers.
President Barack Obama let his top Afghanistan war commander go after only a brief meeting in the Oval Office, according to a report by The New York Times, replacing McChrystal with his boss and mentor, Gen. David H. Petraeus, and sending a clear signal that the current war strategy will continue despite setbacks and growing public doubts.
McChrystal’s Rolling Stone interview was and is a pinnacle of modern journalism and further evidence that great profiles and interviews are still possible in the American media. Rolling Stone’s Michael Hastings spent weeks with McChrystal in Afghanistan and Paris, trailing him for so long that McChrystal basically forgot he was there and let down his guard enough to say some fascinating, insulting things. From my memory, it’s not like Pres. Obama fired McChrystal outright – when the RS piece came out, McChrystal knew he was out of a job and I think the conversation was basically “should Obama let him resign or should he be fired for cause?”
When most people think of McChrystal, they think of that interview but he was (and presumably is) a brilliant strategic mind and it will be fascinating to see Brad Pitt play him. The idea of this is kind of fascinating. This is a really good part for Brad.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
McChrystal should have been outright fired after the cover-up of friendly fire killing of Tillman. I don’t want to see a propagandist celebrated.
^^This times a screaming eleventy billion +++.
Thank you!!!!!!! And by the way, Michael Hastings death was always fishy to me. I’m going to put that out there.
Yeah, I’m tired of the baddies being the main characters in movies. Also, Brad Pitt very much fulfills a conventional idea of the “good man” in our culture. How is he going to portray a villain, which I hope is what they’ll do with McChrystal in this movie — since, um, that was the Hastings article’s point…
This is such a bad idea. As is the Steubenville movie Pitt is trying to get made. He did good with 12 Years. I wish he’d just leave movies alone for a while.
Brads working hard for that acting Oscar.
I don’t know why people are saying that everytime Brad does an e
Interesting movie – he is working hard to get the Oscar for best actor. Maybe he just likes the script and wants to produce and act in it.
Do you accuse Leo D, Daniel Day Lewis. Tom Hanks of the same thing?
LOL, I believe many people will think Leo D indeed works hard for the Oscar 😉
Do you accuse Leo D, Daniel Day Lewis. Tom Hanks of the same thing?
Yes, yes and meh. I’m sure you must have seen the Leo Oscar memes? Those come from the assumption that he wants an Oscar badly so YES.
DDL comes out of a cave once every few years to play an Oscar baiting role. That’s not to say he doesn’t deserve it but he wants an Oscar just as much as the next actor. At least he has the talent, work ethic and charisma to back the thirst up. He campaigned heavily behind the scenes and there was a meme too (DDL wants an Oscar from College Humor) so YES people see through him too. Hanks is more under the radar but people have pointed out that he wants that third Oscar like Streep and DDL for example.
Both BP and AJ campaigned hard when they were nominated. They want it, they could’ve done it behind the scenes like DDL but they are in your face when they’re trying to sell us something. Seeing as they are more than just actors, like a whole new level of Moviestar, how can they NOT want that Best Actor statue? Or that Best Director in AJ’s case. You think they’re above it? That they don’t have a huge ass ego? Uh please, their projects and promotion tactics tell us otherwise. Their asses ain’t retiring any time soon.
Exactly. Brad may enjoy movies which are centered around war. Inglorious, the movie with Shia, and now this role.
I can’t really fault anyone for that. Oscars typically mean great filmmaking, so saying someone is going after an Oscar simply means they are planning on making a well crafted film.
Can’t say as that bothers me, no matter which actor/actress/producer/director it is.
Not sure if this is even true.. besides there isn’t a script. Brad is very picky about scripts. I don’t see him doing a film again without a completed script.
but I’ll see it anyway if true.
McChrystal Balls.
Thanks O’kitt, I needed that.
this literally made me “lol”.
thanks!
Me too! Nice.
Nice. 🙂
Your brilliance is amazeballs.
He does the worst movies . . . I guess im not a middle aged balding man so im not his target audience.
Brad has been in some wonderful movies like Babel, Seven, Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The A. O Jesse Jane, moneyball & Three of Life. Even his next movie Fury has already been raved on by critics who has only seen an extended trailer.
As for only middle aged balding men being his target audience – well that’s bs. I know several people men and women who are not only young but has head full of hair who likes his movies.
If you want to insult someone at least have the facts right.
Inglourious Basterds, not that Pitt was the best in it, Christoph Waltz was, but he was still good and so was the film.
@Maya – I love my honey, Brad, and usually love his movies, however, I have to admit, I watched 15 minutes of Tree of Life and shut it off!!
@Kiddo:
OMG, Christopher Waltz is one of my FAVORITE actors. that scene in the farmer’s house in Inglourious Basterds was brilliant. he was perfectly creepy and scary in that scene…in EVERY scene in that movie. I just rewatched Django Unchained, and while there are a number of great performances in that movie, Waltz was again outstanding.
@doofus
Django Unchained reignited my Leo love. Is that a bad thing? I hadn’t ever paid much attention to Leo before that–I’d seen Titanic (didn’t like him baby faced), and had seen him in a bunch of other films, he was great in all of them, but I just never paid any attention to him. It’s kinda like DDL, you just expect him to be good.
But him as Calvin Candie blew me away. I LOVED IT. I love Tarantino, but man! Leo was amazing. Of course, my new man (Walton Goggins) is in the movie too. I loved the scene where he’s all (after getting shot) ‘DJango, you black son of a bitch!’, and then Django says (before shooting him) ‘The ‘D’ is silent, Hillbillie’..hahaha.
_________________-
I liked Brad in Inglorious Basterds. I think that a lot of people who think that he was bad in it (based on youtube comments) was because of the ‘Italian’ scene (where he speaks with that awful accent and pronunciation of two or three words)….I saw an interview Brad and QT did with Elvis Mitchell. QT said the scene came about because he was tired of WWII films were all the spies had to do was put on a uniform and they spoke PERFECT German–so he wanted it to be completely terrible and obvious that they weren’t Italian–he said that he envisioned Aldo pulling it off a little better, but said that when Brad did it at the table read, he said he couldn’t see it any other way.
I thought it was freaking hilarious–him telling Diane Kruger’s character that he spoke the most Italian, when he only knew like three words and his accent was atrocious. And then how everyone else just copied what he said.
VC, Leo was really, REALLY fabulous in that movie. Like I said, that cast had numerous great performances…Leo, Waltz, Foxx, Samuel Jackson (AMAZE BALLS!), Kerry Washington, even Don Johnson was great in his role. surprisingly great. I agree about Leo and the “baby face” thing. never found him attractive or paid attention much until he was older. re: Goggins…the first I saw of him was on that FX series, The Shield (also amazing if you haven’t seen it), and his character was so unlikable. on one ep, he assumed an alias of “Cletus Van Damme” and that’s what the bf and I STILL call him when we see him. “Oh, Cletus Van Damme is in that movie”…lol, can’t help it.
re: IB…I thought that was one of Pitt’s better performances. he’s hit or miss, IMO, and that one was a HIT for him. BIG hit. and yes, the Italian scene was gold. and on the same topic of calling an actor by ONE character’s name, the bf and I will always refer to Kruger as “Bridget Von Hammersmark”.
surely, you mean BALLding, right?…
😉
I loved Inglourious Basterds and Christopher Waltz is a phenomenal actor. Moneyball was one of Brad’s best movies, along with Fight Club and Se7en (imo)…..I’m with you Mrs. P, I couldn’t even finish Tree of Life.
🙂
@JPT & Mrs.P – Well, I finished Tree of Life and still couldnt tell you what it all meant. But that’s Malick for you.
@doofus – IMO first 15 minutes (aka farmhouse scene) of Inglorious Basterds is one of the best scenes in movie history. Seriously. “Soshana!”
@VC – I really like Brad Pitt in Inglorious Basterds. The more I’ve seen the movie the more I appreciate his performance. I’m not sure why he gets criticized for it.
But my favorite is Oceans 11/12 Brad. Funny, sexy, relaxed.
Least favorite Brad – Interview with the Vampire. 🙁
“IMO first 15 minutes (aka farmhouse scene) of Inglorious Basterds is one of the best scenes in movie history.”
totally agree, and I said as much the first time I saw it. talk about TENSION. also, the scene with Landa (Waltz) and Shoshanna in the restaurant when she’s asked to host the film festival…YIKES. Waltz is so wonderfully creepy in that movie.
Good one Brad!
i’d see it.
Brad always goes for projects that are well thought out.
Brad Pitt has always had an excellent feel for really good parts. I don’t know about acting actors but I’m pretty certain that with the quality of material that Brad and Plan B has in development and pre-production, he will get another producing Oscar sometime soon.
Yet another war movie? *sigh*
Do you also say “Yet another rom com” *sigh* when one actress continues to get half naked in every movie?
Moneyball, not a war movie. Tree of Life, not a war movie. Ben Button, not a war movie. Could go on……
In fact it is really only his 3rd war movie (maybe), and it is not WWII, but a completely different war.
Snap – well said but don’t expect any agreement to hypocrisy from that actress’s fans because that won’t ever happen.
Mirror BALLS.
BALLS have dropped.
Balls_hit Cecilia. At least its not another romcom. Sigh.
Is he standing like that because unlike Tom Hiddleston he doesn’t want us to see what’s under those jeans??? Is it too small Bwadley?!?!
Big enough to get Givens, Lewis, Paltrow, Aniston, Jolie.# Team Grower
He is not chasing Oscar. He has found one of his passions in life and is pursuing it. I like older Brad Pitt.
PittBallz
actually if you look at his resume – he is both acting and producing a lot of very interesting projects via his company not only movies but tv as well – normal heart etc – and frankly i think he is overdue for an oscar – sd have got for moneyball actually – what i find it so interesting is when other actors want and lobby for oscars its ok but if brad or angelina do the same – its called out all the time dont you think? i just like his selection of movies – its diverse enough to please the brad pitt fan thats the best.