Film star Jake Gyllenhaal is set to reunite with director Daniel Espinosa on a film adaptation of a Rolling Stone article on Americans volunteering with militias in Syria and Iraq to fight against the Islamic State. Gyllenhaal and Espinosa have recently collaborated on the science-fiction film "Life," which is currently in theaters across North America. Espinosa is to direct and produce the project, which will be completed under his new production company, BOZI.
Film to be based on article on anarchists vs. Islamic State
The new film will star Gyllenhaal as an American, who voluntarily travels to Syria to fight alongside a ragtag group of various nationalities in support of the Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units, commonly known as the YPG.
The film, ostensibly titled "The Anarchists vs. the Islamic State," is based on an article of the same name published in Rolling Stone written by Seth Harp. Harp's article documents a number of American ex-pats, primarily a man named Brace Belden, who have traveled to the war-torn area to participate in the campaign against the Islamic State.
The YPG was founded in 2004, but has widely expanded and grown in influence since the outbreak of Syrian Civil War. The YPG is mostly made up of Kurdish fighters, who have long struggled for self-determination, but has attracted many foreign volunteers such as Belden. Many are attracted to the group not only due to their opposition to ISIS, but also because of the YPG's tenets of democratic socialism, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.
The YPG has fought to liberate the city of Raqqa from the forces of the Islamic State, and is currently supported by American supplies and air forces.
Gyllenhaal to star and produce
Gyllenhaal optioned the rights to film alongside production company Bold Films and producer Riva Marker. Gyllenhaal will likely star as a fictionalized version of Belden, with Bold Films claiming in a statement about the upcoming production that the film will handle themes of the search for identity in the 21st century. Gyllenhaal has been on a publicity tour promoting his new film "Life," during which he has been questioned about his romance with Taylor Swift.
