With the Transformers movies, the Bad Boys films and Armageddon on his list of directorial credits, Michael Bay’s reputation has not been one founded on diplomatic nuance. But the US director will hope to show off a hitherto unheralded knack for subtle political drama after entering talks to direct a new film about the fatal 2012 terror attacks on a US compound in Libya.
13 Hours is titled after Mitchell Zuckoff’s book Thirteen Hours: A Firsthand Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, which details the assault by local insurgents on 11 Sept, 2012, the anniversary of 9/11. The initial attack left US ambassador J Christopher Stevens and diplomat Sean Smith dead, with a second assault on a separate CIA compound one mile away later killing two CIA contractors, Tyrone S Woods and Glen Doherty.
Bay’s film, with a screenplay by Chuck Hogan, is expected to focus on six members of a security team charged with the defence of American lives in Benghazi. So far there are no further details of cast or crew.
The US director’s four Transformers movies have taken more than $3.7bn (£2.7bn) worldwide since 2007. Last year he directed the relatively low-budget Pain and Gain, which cost about $26m compared to the $200-250m budget of a Transformers film. 13 Hours is expected to cost about $30-40m and is being put together at studio Paramount, which acquired rights to Zuckoff’s book in February.
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