Kandahar, an explosive action thriller starring Gerard Butler, has had its acquisition of North American rights confirmed today by Open Road Films. The new release date for the film is spring 2023. The production company names behind Kandahar are G-BASE, Thunder Road, Capstone, and MBC. Gerard Butler stars as covert CIA agent Tom Harris in Kandahar, the narrative of his plight in a dangerous Afghan area. Harris must devise a plan to escape from an ever-worsening predicament after his goal is revealed. He’ll accomplish this with the aid of his Afghan interpreter, as they try to make it to a safe location in Kandahar while evading spies and foreign enemy troops.
Mitchell LaFortune drew on his own time as a military intelligence officer trying to keep things running smoothly in the wake of the Snowden leaks for the film’s screenplay. In light of this history, the film will provide an original and fresh take on the controversy surrounding Edward Snowden’s intelligence revelations in 2013. Butler reteams with Greenland and Angel Has Fallen director Ric Roman Waugh in this new feature. With Butler at the helm, the picture also features Ali Fazal (Victoria & Abdul, Death on the Nile) and Bollywood superstar Elnaaz Norouzi, as well as Navid Negahban (Homeland, 24, Legion). Actor Travis Fimmel is also slated to make an appearance.
The AlUla area of Saudi Arabia served as the filming location for Kandahar, and it was the ideal choice for Butler’s new suspense film. Tom Ortenberg, president of Open Road Films, praised the new movie, saying, “Kandahar is an adrenaline trip designed for the big screen.” We are excited to bring this heart-pounding actioner to theatres around the country and the world thanks to the efforts of Gerry, Ric, the G-BASE crew, and Thunder Road. Filmmaker Waugh further, saying, “[w]hat made Mitch LaFortune’s visceral script so captivating and distinctive for me is its genuineness and how he humanises not only our protagonists, but all the individuals shown in a place that has been stuck in a permanent cycle of violence.”
The announcement of the film’s theatrical release was accompanied by the unveiling of a new photo of Butler in character as Tom Harris. He and his interpreter are shown standing in the desert, and he gives off an air of rough tatteredness in the snap. But this is only a taste of the new picture, which won’t be released until 2023 at the earliest. There has been no confirmation of a specific release date.