Channing Tatum brought some movie stardom to the snowy Sundance festival this weekend, appearing in a previously unannounced role in one of the festival’s first headliners.
Tatum delivers a scene-stealing role in Atropia, Haley Gates’ directorial debut. The film is directed by Alia Shawkat and British researcher Callum Turner. It follows the wild true story of completely fabricated villages on US military bases, where the actors and stunt crew helped troops prepare for the Iraq War.
Shawkat and Turner play actors hired on one of these elaborate sets, delighted by the news that a real-life American movie star (Tatum) will be participating in a simulated chemical weapons attack to prepare for an upcoming role.
Tatum is perfect as a celebrity, searching for authenticity and street cred alongside real soldiers in a fantasy scenario. in diverseAt Sundance Studio presented by Audible, Shawkat revealed that she was the one who got Tatum to appear — but not without a little excitement.
“Chan was a great friend,” Shawkat said. “We emailed him and asked him to come do it. He replied – but didn’t respond immediately – and said: ‘I’m available, what’s the date?’
Director Gates was deeply rooted in the world of these training camps, having researched documentary film for years before turning to written narration. After filming a small role in the film “Challengers”, her friend and director Luca Guadagnino came on board as a producer for the film “Atropia”.
“It was my most romantic writing experience because he was my first reader,” Gates told Variety. “I was writing to him directly.”
Read more about Gates and her ambitious new satire here.
