­
Channing Tatum Surprises Sundance With a Secret Role in Atropia - theGeek.games

Channing Tatum Surprises Sundance With a Secret Role in Atropia

MOVIE NEWS – Channing Tatum Goes to War – Sort of – at the Sundance Film Festival. The actor has created a buzz at the 2025 festival with a surprise cameo in Hailey Gates’ directorial debut, Atropia. The highly anticipated film is based on the strange but true story of Hollywood-built fake Iraqi villages on U.S. military bases, staffed by actors and stuntpeople to help prepare soldiers for the eight-year Iraq War that began in 2003.

 

According to Variety, the Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner-led screwball comedy about the military-industrial complex has already become a festival favorite, largely due to Tatum’s portrayal of an A-list actor trying to gain credibility while training with real soldiers in a staged war zone.

Tatum is spot-on as a self-absorbed Hollywood star, reports Variety, searching for authenticity alongside soldiers in a surreal simulation. Shawkat revealed in an interview that it was her friendship with Tatum that secured his cameo. “Chan has always been an amazing friend,” Shawkat said. “We emailed him, and though he didn’t respond immediately, he eventually replied, saying, ‘I’m in. What’s the date?’”

 

What Is Atropia About, and Are These Fake Villages Real?

 

While it may sound absurd, the film’s premise is based on real events. Writer-director Hailey Gates initially set out to create a documentary about the artificial villages constructed on military bases to train soldiers before deployment. These hyper-realistic environments include actors hired for three- to four-week contracts, designed by Hollywood professionals for maximum authenticity. There are even rumors that Glade created scents mimicking spices, bread, and fish markets – and unsettlingly, burning flesh.

Despite the grim backdrop, the film focuses on an unexpected love story. Shawkat plays an aspiring actress stationed at one of these training facilities, who falls for a soldier playing an insurgent (Turner). Their romance threatens to upend the entire operation. The ensemble cast also features Chloë Sevigny, Tim Heidecker, Jane Levy, and, of course, Tatum.

Gates, an actress with years of experience in small roles, was encouraged by Luca Guadagnino to turn her idea into a feature script in just four weeks while working with him on Challengers. Guadagnino ultimately became a producer on Atropia.

This film, which feels like an Argo for millennials, is already positioned to take Sundance by storm – and could make a splash in awards season, too.

Source: MovieWeb

Spread the love
Avatar photo
theGeek is here since 2019.

No comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

theGeek TV