Roland Emmerich is Directing a WWII Movie Based on the Battle of Midway
Independence Day director Roland Emmerich has signed on to direct a World War II film based on the legendary Battle of Midway. Lionsgate picked up the distribution rights to the film, and I'm sure they are hoping to ride off the coattails of Christopher Nolan's successful film Dunkirk. The thing is... Emmerich isn't even in the same league as Nolan when it comes to filmmaking talent. Thanks to Deadline, we have some details on the story that the film will tell:
The film is an epic telling of the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific theater of World War II. The story follows the real soldiers and aviators who pulled off the unbelievable to turn the tide of the war in June 1942.
The movie will have a $100 million budget and Lionsgate’s Patrick Wachsberger talked about the project, saying:
“We’re thrilled to bring the action-packed story of one of the greatest naval battles in history to the big screen with a world-class creative team led by the visionary Roland Emmerich and a blue-chip roster of partners. This is epic and heroic storytelling for a global audience at its very finest.”
As a history buff, I think it's a great idea to make another film based on the Battle of Midway. However, I'm not too thrilled that Emmerich is going to be directing it. All that means is that we are going to get a mediocre film with big special effects and action sequences. The story will have no substance or soul.
Directors like Steven Spielberg, Mel Gibson, Christopher Nolan, Clint Eastwood, David Ayer, and Michael Bay have all given us more of the most recent World War II films. Some of them are better than others, but they're all solid films. Can Emmerich actually give us a great WWII movie? Only time will tell, but I'm not counting on it.
What do you all think about Emmerich directing a film based on the Battle of Midway? Are you more optomistic than I am?