Michael Bay to Direct Film Based on Iran Rescue Mission

Michael Bay is set to direct a military drama based on the recent rescue of two U.S. crew members whose aircraft crashed in Iran.

According to Deadline, the director of action films including Armageddon and Transformers will collaborate with Universal Pictures to bring the story to the screen. In April, two soldiers were rescued after their fighter jet was downed, an operation former President Donald Trump called “one of most daring search-and-rescue operations in US history”.

In a statement, Bay said the film will celebrate “the true heroism and unwavering dedication of our service members”.

The as-yet-untitled project will be based on a book by Mitchell Zuckoff scheduled for release in 2027. Zuckoff’s book 13 Hours, about the attack on an American compound in Benghazi, was previously adapted into a film by Bay in 2016.

That film starred John Krasinski and became one of Bay’s lowest-grossing projects. In a two-star review, the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw wrote it was “like playing Call of Duty for 72 hours straight – only without the subtlety and insight”.

During his presidential campaign at the time, Trump showed support for the movie by renting a cinema so his supporters could watch it for free.

Bay’s most recent film, the Jake Gyllenhaal-led action thriller Ambulance, was a box office disappointment in 2022. He was set to direct a Will Smith action vehicle in 2024, but a year later the project fell apart over reports of creative differences between the pair, who had previously worked together on Bad Boys and its first sequel.

Last year, Bay also directed a Super Bowl advertisement for the Secret Service.

On social media, the filmmaker wrote: “Filming Secret Service Super Bowl commercial: President Trump wanted to meet me. I’m the only person standing in front of AF1, Marine One lands, and the President walks up to me: surreal.”