Coming to a theater near you: Marcus Luttrell's 'Lone Survivor

According to Deadline New York, director Peter Berg and Universal Pictures will soon begin work adapting "Lone Survivor" for the silver screen.  Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell's non-fiction account offers up a details account of surviving a brutal Taliban ambush in the Hindu Kush mountain region of Afghanistan in 2005 that killed the three other members (and friends) of his four-man SEAL squad.

Apparently, the killing of Osama bin Laden by SEALs played a roll in getting the "Lone Survivor" ball rolling again. "They leaned right into it with me. Bin Laden's death has cleared the way for this, a movie that will be an unapologetically patriotic film that honors and pays homage to an incredible group of badass guys who do this," Berg said.

The timing of the movie announcement comes just days after I finally read Luttrell's book myself -- a book and an author which Glenn has praised numerous times in the past.  To say that I recommend you read this book would be an incredible understatement. I implore you to read it.

I've always respected our men and women in uniform and held them in the highest regard, but it's the true story of what it means to be an American soldier that reminds you that there isn't enough respect in the world to ever compensate them for their unbelievable sacrifice.

I'm happy knowing that Marcus' story -- and the story of his amazingly heroic brothers -- will reach an even wider audience with this movie.  But so help me God, Peter Berg had better not screw this up.

The stark reality of "Lone Survivor" and our ongoing battle against militant Islamic fanatics includes some harsh realities that seriously conflict with Hollywood's traditional affinity for political correctness. I just hope the finished product -- anticipated for release in 2013 -- accurately reflects reality and does not sacrifice integrity for a big box office.

One commenter at MovieWeb apparently shares my worried sentiment:

Here's what you can expect from the Hollywood adaptation of a perfect -and true- war story:

A fictional member of the team "Cody" will be played by Zack Efron. He will wear a black beret and carry an MP5. He will be the wild-child with a healthy disdain for authority and an appetite for killing...kids, women, goats...doesn't matter. Cody is suffering from PTSD, which he acquired in a recent mission in Iraq looking for WMDs. Cody will dissuade his angst with an occasional hit from a flask that he carries in his web gear. He will also reference the extreme climate in Afghanistan and blame global warming.

During the climactic scene when Luttrell exchanges glances with the primary villain (played by Samuel L. Jackson), the narrator will say that we have no right to kill him, since we are in his country uninvited, and probably should never have been there anyway. As Luttrell is whisked away in the chopper, the narrator will ask the audience if at anytime in the near future, can we all just get along?