Michael Bay Set to Direct Intense True Story About Operation Epic Fury Rescue Mission

Michael Bayhas lined up his next military thriller, and this one comes straight from a jaw-dropping real-life operation that recently made headlines around the world.

Universal Pictures is developing a feature film based on the daring rescue mission that saved two American pilots trapped behind enemy lines in Iran during Operation Epic Fury.

The project will adapt an upcoming book from Mitchell Zuckoff, which is set to be published by HarperCollins in 2027.

According to Deadline, the story centers on the massive rescue operation launched after an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down in the Zagros Mountains during the escalating conflict in early April 2026.

After the aircraft went down, the U.S. military carried out a massive extraction mission deep inside hostile territory to recover both the pilot and the weapons system officer before enemy forces could reach them. Against impossible odds, both service members were successfully rescued.

The operation quickly became international news, and apparently it also became the movie Bay couldn’t stop thinking about.

The filmmaker is reuniting with writer Scott Gardenhour and producer Erwin Stoff, the team he previously worked with on 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Gardenhour is adapting the screenplay while Bay and Stoff will produce.

Bay has spent much of his career telling large-scale military stories with extensive cooperation from the U.S. Armed Forces. Films like The Rock, Bad Boys, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, the Transformers franchise, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi all benefited from military support, equipment, and consultation to help bring authenticity to the action.

This new film looks like it’ll continue that tradition, only this time the story is ripped from one of the most recent and dangerous rescue operations in American military history.

When speaking with Deadline about the project, Bay said: “I’ve had an amazing partnership over my 30-year career working with the Department of War, and amazing U.S. military members. In my film 13 Hours, no rescue force answered the call for help.

“This film is about everyone who answered the call in one of the most complex, intricate and high-stakes operations in recent history. It celebrates the true heroism and unwavering dedication of our service members.”

Zuckoff is no stranger to telling these kinds of stories. The Boston University communications professor also wrote 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened In Benghazi back in 2014 alongside surviving members of the security team involved in the 2012 Benghazi attack. That book ultimately became Bay’s 13 Hours film adaptation.

There’s no release date attached to the Operation Epic Fury movie yet, but this feels like exactly the kind of intense real-world military story that fits Bay’s filmmaking style perfectly.