Since shooting in Abbottabad is a little risky for an American film crew for security reasons and high-alert state in the area, hence the Pakistan Army garrison town will be recreated in Indian Punjab’s Chandigarh and Patiala. Part of it will also be shot in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The film will be about the U.S. Navy Seals’ team who hunted down Osama bin Laden and killed him during a night-raid. Others who were killed in the action were his aides and one of his sons.
Kathryn is the only-female Oscar-winning director and since the incidents took place on May 1st, she had been the first and only choice to direct a movie on this subject for her previous experience on The Hurt Locker, which was so liked despite some controversy of accuracy that it went on to win the Best Picture Oscar too.
As of now, the film project is untitled yet, but is expected to be released in the coming December. The cast so far includes Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Aymen Hamdouchi and Kyle Chandler. The part that will be recreated in India is the secret compound of the notorious Al-Qaeda leader where he hid for the past six years, which coincidently was next to Pakistan Army’s establishment area. About the film, Jessica Chastain recently said:
“I’ve been working on Bigelow’s movie in Jordan after the Oscars I go to India to shoot more.”
The film has also caused a controversy in the U.S. because the details of the night-raid were leaked to the producers by the Obama administration and were never shared with either the national or the international media despite constant requests. About these allegations, the CIA spokeswoman said:
“The CIA has been open that as part of our public outreach, the agency has over the years engaged with writers, documentary film-makers, movie and TV producers, and others in the entertainment industry.”
