Jake Gyllenhall is returning to the military genre after tackling Operation Desert Storm in Sam Mendes’ 2005 flick “Jarhead” as he’ll be playing real-life serviceman Air Force Combat Control Technician Chapman, a recipient of the Medal of Honor in 2018 for his actions in a classified mission that took place in Afghanistan on March 4, 2002, that led to his death.
The project, titled “Combat Control,” according to Deadline will be at MGM Studios with “Extraction” director Sam Hargrave attached. Sam went from a stunt coordinator/stuntman on massive Marvel Studios films to directing a major motion picture at Netflix starring Chris Hemsworth that became one of the streaming giant’s more popular original films
Following the death of John Chapman in 2002, it took over a decade for the truth of what happened to him came to light. Air Force Captain Cora Alexander had the gargantuan task of investigating the battle and if Chapman was worthy of receiving the medal. It sounds like the project is just as much about Alexander’s journey as it is about the heroic sacrifice Chapman made in the top-secret operation, they’re currently seeking an actress to co-star alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.
The script is based on the book “Alone At Dawn” by Dan Schilling and Lori Chapman Longfritz with Hideaway Entertainment hiring screenwriter Michael Russell Gunn to adapt. Schilling will be a consultant on “Combat Control” as he was also a Combat Control Technician, according to Deadline.
Gyllenhaal is a busy actor with as his projects include a remake of the Danish thriller “The Guilty” directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael Bay’s “Ambulance,” a movie about the making of “The Godfather,” and is co-starring with Jessica Chastain for the upcoming feature film adaptation of the video game “The Division” at Netflix.
