Jake Gyllenhaal Set for Guy Ritchie Movie About Afghanistan War

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Jake Gyllenhaal Jarhead
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Anthony Swofford in the 2005 film "Jarhead." (Universal Pictures)

Jake Gyllenhaal returns to the kind of military role that first made him a star in the 2005 Gulf War movie "Jarhead." He's working with director Guy Ritchie on a military thriller set during the Afghanistan War.

The movie, previously announced as "The Interpreter," is currently untitled. Some of the details are fuzzy, but Gyllenhaal plays Sgt. John McKinley, who's on his final tour in Afghanistan. Is he a soldier or a Marine? There's no definite word from the press agents, so we're standing by.

McKinley is teamed up with an Afghan interpreter, Ahmed, as his team surveys the region. After everyone in the unit except McKinley and Ahmed is killed in an ambush, Ahmed risks his life to carry the injured sergeant to safety.

McKinley goes home but learns that Ahmed and his family have been denied the safe passage to the United States that they were promised. He heads back to the 'Stan to rescue his friend on a freelance solo mission.

Ritchie wrote the screenplay with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, who've been a part of Ritchie's recent career resurgence. The three co-wrote 2019's "The Gentlemen," 2021's excellent "Wrath of Man" and the upcoming "Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre," which has an incredibly promising trailer.

TRAILER: Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre | Official Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Sqk1GcqxY

Gyllenhaal plays a veteran blackmailed into a life of crime in the upcoming Michael Bay movie "Ambulance" but this is his first war movie since "Jarhead." Gyllenhaal has starred in some classic movies like "Zodiac," "End of Watch" and "Nightcrawler," but McKinley seems like the kind of role he should've had a long time ago.

Related: Michael Bay's New Movie Offers a Hot Take on the Veteran Health Care Crisis

Even though the movie begins filming in Spain on Jan. 24, 2022, there's no word yet on who else will be acting in this movie. We do know that MGM and Amazon are funding this one, so it will get a theatrical release in the United States and then stream on Prime Video. Look for a release sometime in 2023.

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