Doug Liman’s next film, Snake Island, will be a political thriller inspired by the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. The upcoming film has now added Oscar winners Sean Penn and Adrien Brody to its cast. Liman has already started filming the thriller in Croatia, where production will continue till September.
As reported by World of Reel, the film will follow a covert team of Ukrainian divers on an underwater mission amid geopolitical tensions. The story takes place in the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The report reveals that the film has not been backed by any major studio in the United States. It’s unclear who Penn and Brody are playing in it.
Why the Nord Stream sabotage remains one of the biggest mysteries of the Ukraine war
Snake Island is based on the sabotage of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines beneath the Baltic Sea in 2022. At the time, a series of underwater blasts ruptured the natural gas pipelines under the ocean, leading to a massive gas leak. The gas pipelines were owned by the Russian company Gazprom for transporting natural gas from the country to Germany. The identities of those involved in the incident have yet to be uncovered.
Further investigations by Russia, Germany, and Sweden concluded that the sabotage was caused by the use of military-grade explosives. German prosecutors eventually charged a former Ukrainian army officer for the incident, with an alleged team of divers causing it. That’s what Liman’s film will be exploring.
Snake Island will be Liman’s next film after Bitcoin, which will also deal with political tensions by parodying several influential figures. The film will reunite Liman with Penn after their 2010 collaboration on Fair Game. It marks the first time Brody has worked with the director. Penn and Brody recently won the awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor in One Battle After Another and The Brutalist, respectively.
An official theatrical release date for Snake Island has not yet been announced.
