Clint Eastwood Crew Films Family Jewell In Atlanta

Olympic park/Eastwood mash up image via JoBlo.com

For film buffs and Atlanta residents, summer headlines about Warner Bros. casting a new feature based on Richard Jewell may be old news.

For those further afield, the following roundup includes updates and photos from the set of the upcoming movie centered on the hero of the July 1996 Olympic Park bombing.

Hopefully a detail or two may also serve as informative updates for local readers.

I enjoy Clint Eastwood, a longtime favorite of this writer, equally for his behind-the-camera work and for original characters he created as an actor.

His film career spanning seven decades seldom includes five-ringed themes, but that's quickly changing with Eastwood directing a new picture based on the 1997 Vanity Fair article by Marie Brenner titled "American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell," about which I first posted details in 2015.

At that time, Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio were set to star as the 1996 Olympic park security guard hero-turned-bombing suspect and one of his attorneys, respectively.

Consider me anxious -- for nearly four years and counting -- to experience this film.

For context: Getty Images photo of bomb investigation site taken July 27, 1996

Thanks to an online post by a fellow writer, earlier this month while my girlfriend visited from Russia, we enjoyed an extended peek at one of the Atlanta sets created for the film. For almost a week, Centennial Olympic Park's north end served as a closed set for Eastwood's team.

We snapped two night photos and several daytime images, sprinkled about this post (though not one is worth a thousand words in this case).

The image at right, for instance, offers a little taste of the set designers' take on Atlanta's "look of the Games" complete with an original Olympic torch logo created for the film.

More on what we learned around the site, where one overnight sequence involved detonating noisy pyrotechnics, follows later in this post, but first a bit more recent background.

During spring 2019, online sources said Eastwood reconfirmed involvement with the project in May, a cast was locked in within weeks, and shooting began in July. As of two weeks ago filming remained underway at multiple locations across Atlanta, with reported sightings of cast and crew both downtown and the city's upscale Buckhead district.

Paul Walter Hauser landed the title role. Some may recall his Olympic-tethered scenes in "I, Tonya" with pivotal action (sans Nancy Kerrigan knee-bashing gear) set inside Decatur's local favorite Asian restaurant, The Golden Buddha.

Paul Walter Hauser in "I, Tonya"

There's definitely a Hauser resemblance to Richard Jewell in other "I, Tonya" scenes as well.

Richard isn't the only Jewell family member who'll appear in Eastwood's project. Misery loves company as Kathy Bates signed on in (what I guess to be) a supporting role as Bobi Jewell, the security guard's mother with whom he resided, and endured throngs of media staked out at their apartment, when their lives were upended.

The film also stars Olivia Wilde as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter whose cover story about the bombing investigation put Jewell in a global spotlight, while Jon Hamm will don, er, drape the shoes and uniform of Tom Shaw, possibly a pseudonym for Georgia Bureau of Investigation officer Tom Davis, who helped Jewell to relocate bystanders before Eric Rudolph's pipe bomb detonated.

Sam Rockwell stars as Richard's criminal attorney Watson Bryant. It remains unclear whether Jewell's libel attorney, who made a name for himself by representing pariah clients, will be portrayed.

Now back to the local sets for the film.

In Centennial Olympic Park, Eastwood's crew built a replica of the AT&T stage, sound/lighting tower and concert area that operated in the summer of 1996. As a one-time Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games employee who watched the stage's original construction from the lunch room balcony of The INFORUM (ACOG's headquarters), no matter the angle the modern rebuild looked authentic.

From our western-edge vantage to view filming, we noted some of the finer details of the set, such as the mock Atlanta Olympic banners donning many stage elements.

In the rain, when some extras retreated to a staff tent and others stopped along the fence line to visit with non-cast friends, we noted their costumes included Olympic-branded gear with logos that matched the banners (both are of mock logos, not the actual AGOG trademarks and rings).

Nice touches, right down to the security guard pith helmets and baseball caps.

According to the Vanity Fair article, on the evening of July 26, 1996, a band named Jack Mack and the Heart Attack was playing just before the bomb exploded. We neither saw nor heard any music, as the evening of our scouting they were already filming post-explosion emergency response.











We also saw no EMT vehicles in scenes being filmed at night, but the following afternoon we spotted ambulances and police cruisers circa 1996 (or at least dressed to resemble the era) parked on the set as well. The blue pickup truck has a resemblance to Richard Jewell's personal vehicle, and the FBI investigations van (see photo) also looked "real" in broad daylight.

The centerpiece of the set was a recreation of the sound tower including a park bench like the one under which the original Jewell discovered Rudolph's backpack.

The set designers really nailed it (no pun intended) with "the look" of the damaged tower as it appeared during the 1996 investigation and as the park reopened with Ambassador Andrew Young leading the ceremony all those years ago.

A security guard hired for the film set informed us that the mock bombing, which took place in the middle of the night, brought at least one disgruntled hotel guest to the set to express her frustration for getting jarred out of bed without warning.

I am really curious who created the Olympic sport pictograms that decorated the set, and would love to know who was involved with the fictional XXVI Games banners. The color schemes are this close to authentic. Too bad, but the costume designer did not resurrect the brown skorts donned by summer of '96 female volunteers ... well, not "too bad," actually (they were terrible).

Our study of the set gave me hope Eastwood is committed to creating an authentic audience experience.

Reflecting on "The Ballad of Richard Jewell" article and its conversion for the screen, taken on by Billy Ray of "The Hunger Games" and "Flightplan" fame, I admit to biting my nails about the screenwriter taking liberties with Olympic facts as did the scribe for an earlier Eastwood film.

In 2014, Eastwood and Jason Hall -- screenwriter for "American Sniper" -- played fast and loose with five-ringed details, inspiring the most-read post on this blog (and the second-most read) in which the facts about an "Olympic sniper from Syria" are verified by the Arab state's national Olympic committee (there was no such character in real life).

For the Jewell feature, it's been reported the 2019 AT&T stage set included an actor portraying Kenny Rogers, the Georgia-based singer who did perform in the park in 1996 but, according to the Vanity Fair article, appeared in concert earlier in the week (not the bombing eve).

One wonders: when the final cut hits theatres, will Rogers show up in place of Jack Mack and the Heart Attack during the climactic bombing scene Eastwood & Co. recreated?

I am eager to see how and whether other International Olympic Committee, ACOG or USOPC (then USOC) players may show up in Eastwood's picture. For instance, an archived joint press conference hosted by the IOC, ACOG and FBI includes officials who are potentially quotable in Ray's screenplay, but only the FBI official is listed in IMDB.

Olympian Janet Evans appeared in explosion footage during a live interview that took place on the fateful night -- no listing for her portrayal in Eastwood's film, however.

And though the recreated AT&T stage includes several NBC affiliate studio spaces branded on the set, there are no IMDB-listed credits for cast members portraying NBC, CNN nor other national network reporters who covered the bombing and investigation.

As of this post, the only exception found in IMBD is a cast listing for an actor portraying Bryant Gumbel, who interviewed Jewell in the latter months of 1996, according to Vanity Fair.

It's my understanding "The Ballad of Richard Jewell" filming remains underway in Atlanta. I'll be on the lookout for signs with the production code "KIKI" and post updates as additional details emerge (please share via comments if you have them -- would love to hear from the extras selected for the film).

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver and Valentian Kucheriavenko except the movie still of Hauser from "I, Tonya" via Neon; top image of Eastwood via this site; Getty Images photo of bombing investigation at sunrise 7/27/1996 via this CNN archive link. 

The Proof Is In The مهلبية

Many have heard "the proof is in the pudding."

For "American Sniper" fans, critics and anyone wondering the truth about the so-called "Olympic sniper from Syria" portrayed as "Mustafa" by the actor Sammy Sheik, the blog post that follows affirms the proof is in the mahalabiya (مهلبية).

And like variations of this Arab world recipe, the pudding du jour is both sweet and nutty while officially condemning the creative work of Oscar-nominated "American Sniper" screenwriter Jason Hall and director Clint Eastwood.

The condemnation comes all the way from the president of the Syrian Olympic Committee, in writing and officially stamped by his staff.

On a hunch noted on this site last week, and from research completed by a fellow International
Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) member Brian Carberry and myself since seeing "American Sniper" in theatres, I took time to write a letter to the Syrian Olympic Committee to ask specific questions as to the facts surrounding their competitors -- specifically shooting athletes -- entered in the Olympics prior to the early 2000s.

In an email reply received January 25, 2015, the executive director of the Syrian Olympic Committee provided a formal response signed by Gen. Mowafak Jomaa, president of the Syrian Olympic Committee, dated 22 January 2015.

The complete email correspondence (formatted as JPEGs to suit this blog posting template and to protect privacy/emails/phone numbers for the writers) is included with this post.

But I'll take a moment to quote Gen. Jomaa here:

"... we herewith assure you that the claimed Olympic shooter in the 'American Sniper' who is named 'Mustafa' is just a fictional character since we have no Olympic shooter as you tracked and your research as well."           

Gen. Jomaa continues with some direct feedback about the creative process chosen by the Oscar-nominated screen writer Jason Hall for "American Sniper" (specifically, the invention of "Mustafa").

"... using such a hint is an attempt to ... involve sportsmen in politics and the current situation in Syria. We strongly believe that sport should be separated from politics and war."

The letter goes on to condemn Hall, Eastwood and the film's involvement of the Olympic Family:

"We reassure that none has contacted our office and this character is merely a media propaganda to distort the Olympic movement in Syria ... (a) matter that we condemn."

Now, once upon time in Atlanta, I actually ran into Clint Eastwood (as reported here) while he was in town directing another sports film (sadly, a lesser film than "American Sniper" -- for the record, I again state the latter film is excellent in this blogger's opinion).

Boy, howdy. It sure would be interesting and make my day to get Eastwood's two cents on this Syrian Olympic Committee letter (not to mention Hall's response). So I'll next be typing notes addressed to Hollywood. Does anyone have Eastwood's email address handy?

"American Sniper" publicity still via Fandango. Other images are screen grabs of actual correspondence formatted for this site by Nicholas Wolaver. These images are copyright Nicholas Wolaver and may be used only by written permission.

American Sniper Puts Syrian Shooting Olympian In Film's Crosshairs

 

When I embarked to view the new Clint Eastwood film "American Sniper" -- which is excellent -- there was no expectation of an Olympic connection.

Much to my surprise, not long after Chris Kyle -- the Navy SEAL portrayed by Bradley Cooper -- reached the Middle East, the audience learned about a trained enemy sniper named "Mustafa" (played by Sammy Sheik) described as a skilled marksman who was once an Olympic shooter for Syria.

Eyebrows raised. Something did not seem right.

Then later in the film, as Kyle's team seemed to close in on the supposed Olympian at his clandestine residence, the Syrian athlete-turned-militant sharpshooter was portrayed as quickly loading rifles or packing other gear before barely escaping the U.S. forces in a Houdini-like departure.

During his urgent flight from home, the camera pauses briefly on a framed photograph with three flag-draped athletes on a victory stand presented like an Olympic medal podium and, you guessed it, the magical Mister Mustafa-lese posed on the top tier as though at attention for his national anthem.

Hmmmmm. Very odd.

Though my CV includes "lifetime member of the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH)" this status includes very little knowledge of Olympic shooting records.

But I was pretty sure the total number of Olympic shooting medalists from Syria was a "ZERO" bigger than the bull's eye on a Games target.

Emerging from the theatre, I checked the International Olympic Committee records and though there are three all-time Olympic medalists from Syria, none are Olympic shooters.

Fellow ISOH member Brian Carberry later did some quick research and found that there are a handful of Olympic shooting entrants from Syrian Arab Republic. But since this National Olympic Committee joined the Olympic Family in 1948, only one seemed age- and skill-appropriate for the film's early 2000s timing.

Carberry explained an athlete named Mohamed Mahfoud competed at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games as a rifle shooter. However, Mahfoud placed 53rd out of 53 athletes in the target shooting events, hardly the result painted by the filmmakers.

His online bio states he was in his 40s -- and Syria's oldest Sydney entrant in any sport -- during the post-9/11 decade portrayed in the book and movie. So it seemed a stretch this guy joined Iraqi or other forces post-Games.

Still in search of answers, tonight I trekked to a bookstore and planted myself in a chair to read the entire bestselling book "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History" from cover to cover.

The result: Not a single reference to any one specific target taken out by Chris Kyle. Notes on the editing process, provided by the author, indicate the Pentagon or Navy's review of the text likely prevented such specifics from making the final version.

Determined to find out "who was Mustafa" I started searching the usual places including IMDB, the film's official site (in search of an online press kit) and reviews of the film. Nothing.

Then a Time magazine report detailing fact versus fiction in the big screen "American Sniper" yielded some details that suggest that although a "Mustafa" might have existed or even survived Kyle's attempts to take him out, this person's would-be Olympic creds were not likely verified in the script writer's efforts to bring this character to screen. The Time story does mention some of the writer's feedback on this, but without mention of the Games.

For now, my take is that the five-ringed mention was only for dramatic effect. How better to quickly establish a character's shooting prowess than to elevate her or him to Olympian status?

That said, it does seem to this writer that the "medal stand photo" on view in that enemy combatant's home was a bit much. But hey, the trick worked and it got at least one viewer's attention.

Still curious, I do intend to attempt contact with the Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jason Hall to ask specifically the extent to which the "Mustafa" character received O-ring research. I'm also sending an email to the Syrian NOC to inquire their point of view on this topic and the extent to which they were consulted.

Whether this outreach will generate responses or more clarification remains to be seen.

But it is certain that "American Sniper" will continue to turn heads and sell tickets; as of this post,
opening weekend in nationwide release brought in $90 million (!!!).

And the film is well made and Cooper does a fine job showcasing the range of emotions, concentration and stress experienced by Kyle. I enjoyed it more on screen than the book, though I do suggest folks read the updated text versions for the additional details provided by the author's widow and Hall.

Publicity stills via Fandango and ReelBrief.


January 29, 2015 UPDATE: After publishing this post, I did sent an email with questions to the Syrian Olympic Committee, which responded with a letter signed by the president of the organization. The complete correspondence, and letter -- in which the president condemned the film while confirming the "Olympic shooter from Syria" is fictional -- may be read on a follow-up post found here: http://bit.ly/1uVNlB7