Out of the many properties Hollywood is sequelizing, rebooting, etc., we imagine few people put their bets down on Sam Mendes‘ 2005 war drama Jarhead. Raking in nearly $100 million worldwide, the Jake Gyllenhaal-led film was a success, although by no means a smash hit, but Universal believes there is still audiences interested in the “brand name” and have went ahead to produce a direct-to-video sequel.
Coming from director Don Michael Paul (the man behind such works as Lake Placid: The Final Chapter and Who’s Your Caddy?), it’s no surprise there’s a cheap aesthetic employed here and the themes of isolation and boredom of the first film are nowhere to be found. We imagine Mendes doesn’t even know it exists and we’d wouldn’t want to be the first ones to break the news to him. One can see the preview and poster below for the film starring Jesse Garcia, Bokeem Woodbine, Esai Morales, Cole Hauser, Stephen Lang and Josh Kelly.
Battle-scarred and disillusioned by the war, Corporal Chris Merriman is put in charge of a unit whose next mission is to resupply a remote outpost on the edge of Taliban-controlled territory. While driving through the hostile Helmand province, a Navy SEAL flags down their convoy and enlists the unit on an operation of international importance: they must help an Afghan woman famous for her defiance of the Taliban escape the country. Without tanks or air support, Merriman and his team will need all the courage and firepower they can muster to fight their way across the war-torn country and shepherd the woman to safety.
Jarhead 2: Field of Fire hits Blu-ray on August 19th and can be pre-ordered, if you dare, here.