A famous Egyptian director is developing a film to counter the award-winning film “American Sniper,” and it’s tentatively titled “Iraqi Sniper.”
Amr Salama said that he and fellow director Hany Abu-Assad, as well as producer Mohamed Hefzy, are creating a film that centers around Iraqi sniper Mustafa.
Mustafa is portrayed as the antagonist of Chris Kyle in the “American Sniper” film. However, in Salama’s film, Mustafa will play the protagonist.
Salama said he already has an actor to portray the character.
“The same actor who played the sniper in ‘American Sniper’ — Sammy Sheik — is attached to my film,” Salama said.
“He’s the hero in my film,” Salama told the Hollywood Reporter, while adding that he is creating the movie in response to his hatred of “American Sniper.”
“I hated it. That was my inspiration — I hated it so much that I wanted to work on a different version of that story,” Salama said.
“This story merits to be told even if ‘American Sniper’ hadn’t come out,” Hefzy told The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s a very interesting character, a complex character. Amr did a lot of research and we’re trying to get his evolution right.”
“But I’m trying to make an anti-war film,” Salama said. “Whereas ‘American Sniper’ was pro-war.”
Clint Eastwood, the director of “American Sniper,” told the Hollywood reporter in 2015 that the film sends an anti-war message.
“I think it’s nice for veterans, because it shows what they go through, and that life — and the wives and families of veterans. It has a great indication of the stresses they are under,” Eastwood said. “And I think that all adds up to kind of an anti-war [message].”
[revad2]
