Interview:
Ric Roman Waugh,
director,
"Kandahar"
Marking the third collaboration between Austin-based Greenland and Angel Has Fallen director Ric Roman Waugh and actor Gerard Butler, the thriller Kandahar drops Butler’s CIA operative Tom Harris into Afghanistan for a covert mission behind enemy lines. When his cover is blown, Harris and his Afghan translator Mohammad (Navid Negahban) must undertake a treacherous trek across hostile territory to an extraction point in Kandahar. In fast pursuit of the two men are the Taliban, Iranian security forces, and Pakistan intelligence. Kandahar also stars Travis Fimmel as Harris’ CIA handler and Bollywood star Ali Fazal as Kahil, a Pakistan spy tasked with capturing Harris before the Taliban and the Iranians get their hands on the MI6 officer on loan to the CIA. Kandahar opens May 26 in theaters. Written by former Defense Intelligence Agency officer Mitchell LaFortune, Kandahar underwent pandemic-related production delays in 2020 and 2021 before shooting began in December 2021, which necessitated changes to the film to reflect the 2021 withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover of the country. Kandahar represents the first U.S. big-budget production to shoot in its entirety in Saudi Arabia. A stuntman turned filmmaker, Austin-based director Ric Roman Waugh previously directed National Champions, Greenland, Angel Has Fallen, Shot Caller, Snitch, Felon, In the Shadows, and the documentary That Which I Love Destroys Me. He will reunite with Gerard Butler for their sequel Greenland: Migration and is attached to direct Sylvester Stallone’s Cliffhanger 2. Aired: May 23, 2023. Web sites: https://openroadfilms.com/movies/kandahar https://www.facebook.com/OpenRoadFilms |
|