Written by Gary Spinelli | ||
Produced by Doug DavisonBrandt AndersenBrian GrazerRon HowardBrian OliverTyler Thompson Starring Tom CruiseSarah WrightDomhnall GleesonJayma MaysJesse Plemons |
American Made (previously known as Mena) is an upcoming biographical criminal drama-thriller film directed by Doug Liman, written by Gary Spinelli, and starring Tom Cruise. The film is based on the life of Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot who became a drug smuggler in the 1980s and was recruited later on by the DEA to provide intelligence. It is set to be released on September 29, 2017. This is the first film directed by Liman to be released by Universal Pictures since The Bourne Identity.
Contents
Plot
American Made tells the story of Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), a TWA pilot who is recruited by the CIA to help counter the emerging communist threat in Central America. Seal's role in this major CIA covert operation led in turn to his involvement with the Medellin cartel, which ultimately embarrassed the Reagan White House after the Iran-Contra scandal became public.
Cast
Filming
Principal photography on the film began on May 27, 2015 in Georgia. Filming locations include counties Cherokee, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Morgan and Pickens. On August 20, 2015, Tom Cruise arrived in Medellin, Colombia, and on August 31 arrived in Santa Marta to scout for filming locations for the film.
Plane crash
A plane crash on the set of the film in Colombia on September 11, 2015 killed two people and caused serious injuries to another member of the crew. The plane (a twin-engine Aerostar), which was carrying crew members (three American pilots), was returning to Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín when it ran into bad weather and the crash occurred. The dead were later identified as Carlos Berl and Alan Purwin, who was the founder and president of Helinet Aviation, a company which provides aerial surveillance technology to government agencies and law enforcement, and a film pilot who had worked in top films. American pilot Jimmy Lee Garland was seriously injured and rushed to a local hospital.
Release
In May 2015, Universal set the film for a January 6, 2017 release. On August 8, 2016, the film's release was pushed to September 29, 2017 with a new title, presumably to avoid competition with Amityville: The Awakening and Underworld: Blood Wars.