Deadline reports that Michael Bay is set to direct a movie for Universal Pictures, which will tell the true story of the recent rescue mission to save two downed pilots behind enemy lines in Iran.
Operation Epic Fury
The film will be based on the upcoming book by Mitchell Zuckoff, which will be published in 2027. When an F-15E Strike Eagle was downed during Operation Epic Fury in early April, two U.S. airmen were left trapped behind enemy lines in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. A massive rescue mission was launched, and the extraction successfully recovered the pilot and the weapons systems officer. The mission quickly drew international attention and caught Bay’s eye as a potential project.
The director has collaborated with the U.S. military on many movies, including the Transformers franchise and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. In a statement, Bay said, “I’ve had an amazing partnership over my 30-year career working with the Department of War and amazing U.S. military members. In my film 13 Hours, no rescue force answered the call for help. This film is about everyone who answered the call in one of the most complex, intricate and high-stakes operations in recent history. It celebrates the true heroism and unwavering dedication of our service members.“
Michael Bay
Bay’s last film was Ambulance, a 2022 action thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Eiza González. Since then, he’s been attached to several projects which haven’t yet materialized.
He was supposedly developing a feature film based on the Skibidi Toilet web series, but he later denied it. “You know how mom and dad have always told you, ‘Don’t believe everything you read’?” he said. “I went on the internet last night and there’s stuff about me directing something – I know what I’m directing but it’s not the thing they keep talking about…“
Another project is Outrun, a feature film adaptation of the arcade racing video game franchise released by Sega. Sydney Sweeney is onboard to produce. He was also set to reunite with Will Smith on Fast and Loose, but later dropped out after the pair were “unable to bridge creative differences” over the project. There have also been rumblings that he might return to the Transformers franchise in some capacity.
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