Bin Laden movie to air on National Geographic 2 days before US election
This frame grab from the Saudi-owned television network MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Center) shows alleged terror mastermind Osama bin Laden gesturing an undated videotape broadcast by the Dubai-based MBC April 17, 2002.
National Geographic Channel plans to broadcast a new film about Osama bin Laden’s death two days before the November 6 US presidential election.
The network claims the broadcast has nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with ratings.
The premiere of “Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden” on November 4 is the network’s first foray into scripted features.
It’s directed by John Stockwell and distributed by The Weinstein Company, which is led by President Obama supporter Harvey Weinstein.
Weinstein, a producer of more than 250 titles including “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, said the film’s “portrayal of the events that took place that night is moving to say the very least.”
“I anticipate audiences will be as captivated as I was from the beginning to the end, and I’m extremely proud as an American citizen to play a role in making sure this stunning portrayal of very recent American history is available in as many homes as possible,” he said in a prepared release.
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Seal Team Six arrives ahead of a competing film about the raid in Pakistan called “Zero Dark Thirty” from the Oscar-winning team behind “The Hurt Locker,” Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal.
National Geographic Channel president Howard T. Owens said the channel isn’t trying to play politics with events around 9/11.
He did admit there was an effort to beat “Zero Dark Thirty” to the punch, The Associated Press reported.
“Harvey obviously doesn’t schedule our network,” Owens said. “We are opportunistic from a programming perspective.”
The movie stars Cam Gigandet, Anson Mount, Freddy Rodriquez and rapper Xzibit.
NatGeo said a recently retired Navy Seal, a Bin Laden historian and a top CIA operative scrutinized the film.
A day after the premiere, Seal Team Six will be made available to Netflix subscribers in the U.S.
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