Jake Gyllenhaal set to star in Combat Control about late war hero John Chapman who sacrificed his life during a mission in Afghanistan
Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in military drama Combat Control.
The 40-year-old actor will portray late war hero John Chapman in the new movie based on true events. Chapman died in battle in Afghanistan in 2002 after sacrificing his own life for the safety of his team during a rescue mission.
However, his bravery was only uncovered 15 years after his death after the mission was investigated and the true story revealed by Air Force Captain Cora Alexander.
War movie: Jake Gyllenhaal is set to play war hero John Chapman in upcoming movie Combat Control
This led to his posthumous promotion to the rank of Master Sergeant and his inclusion into the Hall of Heroes.
‘Fifteen years later, Air Force Captain Cora Alexander is tasked with the nearly impossible job of investigating whether Chapman is a worthy recipient of the medal,’ the description reads on Deadline.
‘Despite no eyewitnesses to his actions and the top-secret world surrounding clandestine operations. Alexander has to uncover the truth, and in revealing Chapman’s sacrifice to the world, she forges her own path to self-forgiveness and personal redemption.’
The movie will be directed by Extraction’s Sam Hargrave with Shelby Malone as associate producer and Gyllenhaal as executive producer.
The search for an actress to play Captain Alexander is currently underway, while MGM studios are in discussions to acquire the rights to the film.
Chapman died in battle in Afghanistan in 2002 after sacrificing his own life for the safety of his team during a rescue mission but his bravery was only uncovered 15 years after his death
Chapman received a posthumous promotion to the rank of Master Sergeant and inclusion into the Hall of Heroes
Gyllenhaal will next be seen in Antoine Fuqua’s remake of The Guilty for Netflix, premiering, later this year.
He is currently filming Michael Bay’s action flick Ambulance alongside Eiza Gonzalez and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal previously revealed the tips he picked up from co-stars Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon in 2002’s Moonlight Mile.
He said: ‘I remember Susan telling me, before you have an emotional scene you should drink a lot of water because tears really do dehydrate you.
‘These are the things you pick up – I’ll never forget! I’ll drink so much water before an emotional scene, and people are like, “What’s wrong with him?” I won’t cry the whole scene, I’ll just drink water.’
Military man: It won’t be Jake’s first stint in a war movie, he also starred in Gulf War movie Jarhead, in 2005 – pictured here
Jake is currently filming Michael Bay’s action flick Ambulance alongside Eiza Gonzalez and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He is seen here filming a scene last week
Gyllenhaal picked up tips from Hoffman on set too, taking note of the actor’s intense way of working.
He explained: ‘I would watch Dustin get physically – he would get his energy up, he would actually get his blood flowing, which I didn’t understand at the time.
‘I didn’t get, “Oh right, this is your instrument”… I remember him doing pushups and running in place before sometimes just a regular scene where he walked through.’
Gyllenhaal will next be seen in Antoine Fuqua’s remake of The Guilty for Netflix, premiering, later this year