Is ‘Land of Bad’ Inspired by True Events? Exploring the Real Story Behind Netflix’s Top Military Thriller
There’s a new movie on top of Netflix’s U.S. streaming charts. The military thriller Land of Bad dropped on the streamer on July 18. As you’re watching, you might have questions about whether Land of Bad is based on a true story or if the events are fictional.
Directed by William Eubank (Underwater), Land of Bad follows the U.S. Army Delta Air Force, who are on a mission to rescue a CIA asset in the Philippines. When the team is ambushed by an armed local militia called the Abu Sayyaf, Sergeant JJ Kinney appears to be the only crew member left alive.
The Sergeant’s only hope of survival is Captain Eddie Grimm’s “Reaper,” an Air Force drone pilot who has to guide Kinney to the extraction point remotely. “Over the course of 48 hours, Kinney traverses hostile territory on his way to safety as Reaper and his counterpart, Staff Sergeant Nia Branson, struggle to keep him — and anyone else who may still be alive — out of harm’s way,” according to Netflix.
The cast of the star-studded film includes Russell Crowe, brothers Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whistle, Milo Ventimiglia, Chika Ikogwe, Daniel MacPherson, Robert Rabiah, and Jack Finsterer. Ventimiglia, who portrays Master Sergeant John “Sugar” Sweet, told MovieFone that it made sense for him to take on the role because of the time he’s spent in the military space and his friends in the Army Special Forces.
“It made a whole lot of sense to jump in and take some of the knowledge that I have from my friends in uniform and apply it to Hollywood, and hopefully kind of reverse engineer it back to honoring those that are in uniform, representing the group and making sure that people understand, general populations and civilians understand that we’re still very operational out in the world,” the This Is Us star explained. “I know there’s a lot going on, but there’s a lot of good work still being done out there.”
Is Land Of Bad Based On A True Story?
“Land of Bad” is now streaming on Netflix.
The Land of Bad is not based on a true story and is entirely fictional. However, director William Eubank said that the film was inspired by “a lot of true things.”
“Land of Bad isn’t a true story but we took a lot from true things,” the filmmaker told Task & Purpose in February. “We did some research with some people, asked them ‘theoretically how long would the travel time be if this drone took off from Guam?’ They said ‘we can’t say but there could be places closer than Guam.’ So we had some validation.”
The director said he wanted to create a story that “throws back” to 90s action movies, especially those set in the jungle. He referenced the 1987 film Predator, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch Schaefer, the leader of a paramilitary rescue team on a mission to save hostages in guerrilla-held territory in a Central American rainforest.
Earlier in the interview, Eubank explained that he came up with the idea to create Land of Bad while working on 2014’s The Signal, released a decade ago. “We wrote this film when we were filming The Signal, which is kind of crazy. At the time my co writer and I were trying to make movies that can get made. So much of your career is about pitching in the room, getting them behind your ideas.”
He continued, “We had this idea for a military thriller; at the time drone warfare was becoming more mainstream. People were talking about it. We thought it would be exciting to see the viewpoint between the drone pilot and the operators on the ground. We thought that would be unique.”
Land Of Bad (2024)
Ultimately, he had to shelve the project, but this gave him the opportunity to meet real drone pilots and JTAC instructors from Fort Irwin. He realized that he had the story “all wrong anyway.” As a result, Eubank rewrote the film and made it “more about the guys and their relationship rather than the psychological disconnect the pilot could feel.”
