Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland’s filmWarfareis a little over a month away, and A24 is starting to gear up for another one of its remarkable marketing and promotional runs. The distributor knows how to get people excited and interested about a new movie, and has now released an extended first look atWarfare. The film, which stars D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Joseph Quinn, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, and Taylor John Smith, is a recreation of Mendoza’s memories and experiences when he was a Navy SEAL during the Iraq War. Now, this new video from A24 goes further in depth about howWarfarecame to be.
In this new video, Mendoza and Garland discuss how their collaboration onCivil War, in which the former served as a military advisor to Garland during the film’s production, paved the way to makingWarfare. Mendoza’s goal, which he mentioned in aprevious interview, was to help a friend he served with in Iraq recall the events depicted in the film. As it turns out,Warfareis more than just a conventional war film based on a true story— it is instead a production meant to be therapeutic and healing for those involved in the real-life war.
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The new featurette also showcases Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, and Will Poulter as they detail the excruciating training they underwent to get into the minds of the Navy SEALs. Moreover, each character parallels someone Mendoza served with, and even Woon-A-Tai will be playing Mendoza himself in the movie. Given that this is such an intimate yet intense production, it explains why Garland and A24 were so willing to take it on.
‘Warfare’ Will Be Filled With Action and Emotion
Look no further than the third act ofCivil Warfor those trying to look for an idea of what to expect going intoWarfare. The 2024 film, which was written and directed by Alex Garland, showcases an America divided, with Western Forces of the country launching a full-scale attack on the White House to take the presidency from a dictator. The last 25 minutes or so of the movie is one incredibly choreographed action sequence as wartime journalists and photographers follow soldiers into the White House building. It’s an adrenaline-fueled style of filmmaking that Garland has never showcased before, and Mendoza’s input undoubtedly helped elevate the movie’s most significant action sequence.
Now, withWarfare, it seems that Mendoza (with some co-direction and help from Garland) will extend his military expertise and knowledge into a much longer narrative feature. Melton, who plays Jake in the film, describes the film as Mendoza’s “love letter” to his brother-in-arms Elliot, played by Cosmo Jarvis. Overall, much of this latest look atWarfareputs a huge emphasis on the responsibility that the production team felt when bringing this story to life, especially since it was going to be used to try and help a veteran recall a traumatic experience.
Warfareis a labor of love and commitment to detail more than anything else, making this one of manyA24 features that should be checked out this year. The movie is being marketed as being told in real time and based entirely on memory, which will hopefully excite audiences enough to check this project out. While Alex Garland may want to step back from directing,Warfarewill hopefully be the beginning of a promising directing career for Ray Mendoza.
