Well, that didn’t take long. No sooner had Deadline reported that War Party, a hot package with Tom Hardy, Andrew Dominik and Ridley Scott attached to star, direct and produce in that order, was pitched to buyers and we now have confirmation that Netflix has acquired the starry project for an undisclosed seven-figure sum.
The acquisition brings an end to an admittedly short, but no less heated bidding war between the online streamer and a handful of rivalling studios – namely Amazon, Universal, and Lionsgate – and The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) will pen the Navy SEAL thriller alongside up-and-coming writer Harrison Query. Ridley Scott, meanwhile, is attached in a producing capacity, and his involvement heralds a reunion between the filmmaker’s Scott Free Films and Tom Hardy following hit period drama, Taboo.
Other than the fact that War Party will be based on real events, Netflix is keeping story details locked away in the vault for the time being. It’ll chronicle a mission involving real-life SEALs, with Hardy likely on board to portray some form of squad leader. It’s early days, though, and we’ll keep you updated as this one inches closer to development.
Indeed, War Party won’t be the actor’s only dalliance on the front lines; he’s part of the all-star cast that’s been assembled for Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic that recently secured a PG-13 rating. Elsewhere, Andrew Dominik last made a foray behind the lens for Once More with Feeling, while Ridley Scott also has Alien: Covenant incubating in the pipeline. It’s been dubbed the goriest entry in the franchise to date – not bad for a series that redefined sci-fi horror – and we’ll be able to find out for ourselves on May 19th.
