Antoine Fuqua to direct Siege of Bethlehem for Bron Studios.
The movie is based on former Newsweek Jerusalem bureau chief Joshua Hammer’s book A Season in Bethlehem: Unholy War in a Sacred Place. Avi Issacharoff, the Palestinian and Arab Affairs Correspondent for Haaretz and Matt Cook, a military veteran who served two combat tours in Iraq co-wrote the screenplay.
Inspired by a true story, Siege of Bethlehem tells how a Muslim, an Israeli Jew, and a Christian American came together to prevent a battle from breaking out between the Israeli army and a group of armed Palestinian militants who had taken refuge in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, the believed birthplace of Jesus. At the close of 39 days, despite the resistance put up by many of their superiors and colleagues, the three managed to reach a resolution, ending the siege and avoiding an all-out war on the church’s hallowed grounds.
Bron is producing Siege of Bethlehem alongside Michael Kase. Issacharoff, Lior Raz, Michael Kase, and Bron’s Aaron L. Gilbert will produce the picture. Jason Cloth of Creative Wealth Media will serve as executive producer.
“We are excited to partner with talented storytellers who have an unparalleled understanding of this extraordinary event and with action film icons who have the ability to bring it to life in the most powerful way,” said Gilbert.
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“I’ve been shepherding this project for 15 years,” says Kase. “There couldn’t be a more appropriate time for a movie like this; it’s a story about uniting people through peace at a time of significant unrest.”