Are you of the popular opinion that “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson is a one-trick pony? Well, you might want to reevaluate that stance, as the actor has made some serious career-altering decisions lately. Not only will Pattinson appear in “Videodrome” director David Cronenberg’s “Cosmopolis” — which will probably completely and thoroughly disturb his fan base, I might add — he’s just been cast in Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s endeavor “Mission: Black List”.
The film, based on the true story of the man who helped spearhead the mission to capture Saddam Hussein, will find Pattinson portraying military interrogator Eric Maddox, who co-wrote the book on which the movie is based. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ross M. Dinerstein, Erik Jendresen, and Kevin Waller will produce the film, while Embankment Films will handle sales. The group hopes to sell the film at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
Here’s a fairly in-depth synopsis of the book:
Everyone has seen the footage: a heavily bearded Saddam Hussein blinking under the bright lights of infantry cameras, dazed to find himself in U.S. Army custody. Yet while the breaking news was broadcast around the world, the story of the remarkable events leading up to that moment on December 13, 2003, has never before been fully told. Mission: Black List #1 offers the complete, behind-the-scenes account of the search for Saddam Hussein, as related by the Army interrogator whose individual courage and sheer determination made the capture possible.
In July of 2003, Staff Sergeant Eric Maddox was deployed to Baghdad alongside intelligence analysts and fellow interrogators. Their assignment was clear: gather actionable intelligence—leads that could be used to launch raids on High Value Targets within the insurgency. But, as Maddox recounts, hunting for the hidden links in the terrorist network would require bold and untested tactics, and the ability to never lose sight of the target, often hiding in plain sight.
After months of chasing down leads, following hunches, and interrogating literally hundreds of detainees, Sergeant Maddox uncovered crucial details about the insurgency. In his final days in Iraq, he closed in on the dictator’s inner circle and, within hours of his departure from the country, pinpointed the precise location of Saddam’s Tikrit spider hole. Maddox’s candid and compelling narrative reveals the logic behind the unique interrogation process he developed and provides an insider’s look at his psychologically subtle, nonviolent methods. The result is a gripping, moment-by-moment account of the historic mission that brought down Black List #1.
Personally, I think Pattinson’s skills as an actor are currently underrated. I’ve actually enjoyed quite a few of his non-“Twilight” endeavors, particularly “Remember Me”. That’s pretty high praise coming from a guy who will purchase tickets for “The Expendables 2” as soon as they become available to the general population. “Cosmopolis” looks promising, as well, so I’ll be curious to see how he handles more adult roles.
Robert Pattinson portraying a military guy has generated some interesting responses on Twitter. A small selection of these tweets can be found lurking in the space below.
on Mission: Blacklist. It’s going to be a f**g great film.” – Robert Pattinson
http://t.co/mWaplqMx RPattz will play the man who helped capture the Iraqi leader in new thriller.
Robert Pattinson vs. Saddam Hussein?http://t.co/DLdjvdTj (plus Rob’s in it yay)
I am intrigued to see how this pans out, new thriller film about the search for Saddam Hussein.@eonline: Robert Pattinson to Hunt Down Saddam Hussein in Mission: Blacklist http://t.co/1gWEIVjy”
Weirdest sentence I have ever read. “