Yes, Kandahar is based on a true story and is inspired by writer Mitchell LaFortune’s personal experiences. Kandahar will arrive in theatres on Memorial Day.

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh, Kandahar is an upcoming American action thriller starring Gerard Butler as undercover CIA agent Tom Harris, who is stuck in a hostile territory in Afghanistan.

Waugh and LaFortune penned the script for the pic, also starring Indian actor Ali Fazal and Iranian-American actor Navid Nagahban.

The movie marks a reunion for the director and his leading cast as Waugh and Butler return with yet another explosion-filled action feature.

Previously, the duo teamed up on Lionsgate’s action-thriller Angel Has Fallen (2019) and STXfim’s action-thriller Greenland (2020). The next installments in each franchise are on the way.

Along with leading the cast, Gerard also serves as a producer alongside Erica Lee, Basil Iwanyk, Brendon Boyea, Christian Mercuri, Scott LaStaiti, Ali Jafaar, and Alan Siegel.

The movie follows the CIA agent whose mission is exposed in the media, and now he must fight his way out with his Afghan translator to an extraction point in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Is Kandahar Based On A True Story?

Yes, Kandahar is based on a true story, drawing inspiration from the life of LaFortune. He was a military intelligence officer at the Defence Intelligence Agency in Afghanistan.

The narrative of Kandahar derives directly from LaFortune’s personal encounters working for DIA and being deployed to Afghanistan in 2013 during the tumultuous events of Snowdown leaks.

Mitchell sold his spec script, Burn Run, to Thunder Road Films in June 2016 and the film was retitled Kandahar in June 2020.

From the very start, the trailer introduces Butler as a CIA operative, unraveling the plot of a government mission gone wrong.

Harris is entrusted with the daunting job of neutralizing a nuclear weapon that threatens an entire city. And despite completing his mission, a leak in the intelligence unmasks his cover.

The reveal triggers relentless pursuit by Afganistan’s elite forces.

Faced with a new mission, the agent embarks on a dangerous journey alongside his Afghan translator, traversing with a single objective: reaching their extraction point in Kandahar.

However, with 400-plus miles separating the two from their ultimate destination, they must defy countless pitfalls and race against the clock, determined to arrive at the extraction point before it’s too late.

The film summarizes the essence of a classic CIA mission, added with a twist infusing a gripping web of tension through the runtime.

Learning that the screenplay was crafted by an expert familiar with such a perilous mission heightens viewers’ expectations for a meticulously crafted action-packed experience.

So fans are prepared to be blown away by the thriller, where the boundaries between responsibility and survival blur, and the stakes reach unparalleled heights.

The plot will take viewers on an adrenaline-fueled journey that will keep them on the edge of their seats, as this well-crafted action-packed movie unfolds gripping real-life incidents with intensity.

Waugh’s newest movie is sure to deliver an immersive and memorable cinematic encounter.

Kandahar is slated for a Memorial Day weekend release on Friday, May 26, 2023.

Its competition in its opening weekend at the box office includes Lionsgate’s comedy About My Father, Sony’s action-comedy The Machine, A24’s You Hurt My Feelings, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

Where Was Kandahar Filmed?

Kandahar was filmed entirely in AlUla and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The majority of filming commenced in Saudi Arabia on December 2, 2021.

This made the title the first big-budget U.S. feature to shoot in AlUla and Jeddah. The audience will get a real sense of geography and place, whether it is a town, a city, or an out spot in the desert.

The movie also at least strives to be culturally respectful. Consider a scene illustrating the Muslim ritual of the Salah and the daily five prayers.

Kandahar’s filming location AlUla is an ancient Arabic oasis city in Medina province of northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Situated in the Hejaz, the region features prominently in Islam history. AlUla was a market city on the incense route connecting India and the Gulf to the Levant and Europe.

The area has a unique concentration of precious artifacts, such as ancient stone inscriptions that displays the development of the Arabic language and rock dwellings from the Nabatean and Dedanite periods.

AlUla’s attractions include Madain Saleh, Elephant Rock, Dadan and Jabal Ikmah, Al Mabiyat Village – Al Ula Old Town, Winter Park, The Cycle Trail Al Ula, Al Maraya, and Mosque of Bones.

Jeddah, another filming location of Kandahar, is a port city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia.

It is the commercial center of the country. The city has served as the gateway for millions of pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia, traditionally by sea and lately by air.

Jeddah is the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia (after the capital Riyadh), the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest city in Hejaz, and the ninth-largest in the Middle East.

Jeddah’s top attractions include King Fahd’s Fountain, Red Sea Mall, Al-Balad, Mall of Arabia, Al Tayebat International City, Biet Nassif, Fakieh Aquarium, Silver Sanda Beach, and Al-Shallal Theme Park.

Kandahar Movie Cast And Trailer Breakdown

Kandahar movie stars Butler, also the producer of the film, as the main character Tom Harris, an undercover CIA operative.

Each supporting actor, including Navid Negahban and Ali Fazal, who joined the cast in December 2021, has a significant role in this American action thriller movie.

Here we list the cast members of Kandahar:

• Gerard Butler as Tom Harris
• Navid Negahban
• Ali Fazal as Kahil
• Bahador Foladi as Farzad Asadi
• Olivia-Mai Barrett as Ida Harris
• Nina Toussaint-White
• Rebecca Calder as Corrine Harris (voice)
• Ross Berkeley Simpson as Newsreader
• Vassilis Koukalani as Bashar
• Hakeem Jomah as Rasoul
• Tom Rhys Harries as Oliver Altman
• Ray Haratian as Ismail Rabbani
• Farhad Bagheri as Parshand
• Fahim Fazil as Taliban commander
• Faizan Munawar Varya as Ahmed Nasiri

Kandahar movie trailer breakdown

Open Road Films, American film production and distribution company, released the trailer of Kandahar on April 4, 2023.

Introducing viewers to CIA agent Harris, the trailer points out the plot of a government mission gone terribly wrong.

The opening scenes reveal Harris taking on the dangerous task of wiping out a nuclear reactor in Iran. The CIA agent is stuck deep in hostile territory in Afghanistan.

After his mission is exposed, he makes the quick decision to run for it with his translator. The pair’s escape lies in Kandahar, a city in Afghanistan.

“Gerard never disappoints, excited for some more action!” a fan wrote following the trailer release. “Goosebumps when I saw Ali Fazal at 1:11,” a separate individual commented.

You can check out the official trailer below here: