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Showing posts with label Captain Syverson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Captain Syverson. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

New 'Sand Castle' Clip, Director's Behind The Scenes Glimpse




As Friday gets closer, the promotion for Sand Castle has kicked into high gear. Today we got a new glimpse at the film via IndieWire. And below are some excellent articles and interviews that detail the film's road to the big screen, mainly in the words of screenwriter Chris Roessner.












Director Fernando Coimbra, has also been sharing some behind the scenes moments and even a bit of the music we'll hear in Sand Castle.




 Much more to come!

Monday, February 6, 2017

Total Film: "Superman Goes To War"



"Superman goes to War.."

That's one flashy headline that immediately caught the attention of DC fans excited about the Justice League feature included in the new issue of Total Film. But as @DCComicsUnited pointed out, when the magazine mentioned Supes, they meant Henry in Sand Castle!

The issue is out Friday, so we'll update the post when we get a first look. In the meantime, Henry's manager has shown her support for Captain Syverson on social media.


 Sand Castle is out on Netflix this spring.


UPDATE: @SergioEES has shared with us the article that includes new quotes from Henry and a release date of April 14. Just hit the pics below!




Wednesday, January 25, 2017

'Sand Castle' Title Art, Running Time, Rating & Full Synopsis


A day after Netflix released new 'Sand Castle' photos, the film is now listed on its site. The upcoming release post, gives us a first look at the title art and comes with a brief synopsis:

After the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a reluctant soldier's platoon is dispatched on a dangerous mission to repair a hostile village's water system.

The listing also reveals Sand Castle's running time as 1 hour and 52 minutes and its rating as TV-MA.

Here's the full official synopsis:

Set in Iraq in 2003, Sand Castle follows a group of American soldiers in the early days of the second Gulf War. Bearing witness to the heat and the horror is the inexperienced Private Matt Ocre (Nicholas Hoult), who together with several fellow soldiers is ordered to the outskirts of Baqubah to repair a water pumping station damaged by U.S. bombs. But as Ocre discovers, in an atmosphere where resentment and anger fester, trying to win the hearts and minds of the locals is a task fraught with danger. It’s here, in the streets, squares and schools that he discovers the true cost of war.

Sand Castle
 is out sometime this spring. Latest as we get it!

Thanks @Vidumavikte.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

New 'Sand Castle' Pics & Director Interview Ahead Of Release


Netflix has begun its promotion for Sand Castle, that is now reportedly set to be released in the spring. Under The Radar shared these new official photos of Henry as Captain Syverson on the set in Jordan, where Sand Castle was filmed at the end of 2015. See more photos with the rest of the cast and read what screenwriter Chris Roessner had to say. Henry had given fans a preview on social media as he worked on the film, and we're excited to bring you the very latest!

Director Fernando Coimbra also talked to Brazilian media recently about making the film -- You can read his new interview on the site. UPDATE: Our friend and contributor Rebecca, has translated the article/interview (below).

Coimbra mentioned in an earlier interview Henry was "almost unrecognizable."


Brazilian man directs original Netflix movie about War in Iraq


"Sand Castle" is a war film set during the controversial second US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

A full plate for an American filmmaker. But who is at the head of the project, it’s the São Paulo director Fernando Coimbra ("The Wolf Behind the Door"), who thus becomes the first Brazilian filmmaker to command an original global release feature on Netflix.

"I was on my own editing when Netflix came to the project, so it was two feelings because I filmed thinking of the cinema screen. At the same time, the world projection of 85 million subscribers that this vehicle provides is incomparable," says Coimbra, the only Brazilian vehicle with prior access to shoot a feature film in Jordan in 2015.

"Although it is the most liberal country in the Middle East, the war was near to us, on the other side of the border. Many jets that bombed Syria left from there. I was making a war movie with the war at my side. It was tense."

But the four months in Jordan - including rehearsals, pre-production and six weeks of filming - did not generate any serious problems. Except for the drastic change for the Brazilian director, who travelled with his wife and two young children.

"On the first working day, she said, ‘’Let's go,’’ the filmmaker jokes. "It's a difficult adaptation, because my children had to go to a school in Arabic and English, but they did not even speak English, even taking a taxi was difficult." I suffered less because I worked with a British team. Similarities between countries, especially in food."

The film, coincidentally, is about points in common between cultures. Nicholas Hoult is an American soldier who enlisted in order to pay for college and only wants to get away from the Iraq War.

But alongside his battalion, he ends up cultivating a sense of morality and compassion in trying to fulfill the mission of repairing a water distribution station that will benefit the population of a village - part of it tries to sabotage the reconstruction.

The script was written by Chris Roessner. He was inspired by his own experience during the Iraq War to create this original story that has famous actors like Henry Cavill ("The Man of Steel") and Logan Marshall-Green ("Prometheus").

"I was interested in this atypical look at war, the perspective of a private soldier who had no idea why he was there. Every story has two sides and there was a certain distance from being an international team," explains the Brazilian, who left "The Wolf Behind the Door" to make some episodes of the first season of "Narcos", also on Netflix.

"Without 'Narcos', my transition to an American war movie would be much more difficult," says Coimbra. "The series gave me maturity and security to become confident on the set. Although 'Sand Castle' looks great, it's a small movie. It had no bigger structure than Narcos, which is huge, a monster in terms of production."

Although several Brazilian directors went through bad experiences in their Hollywood premieres, Coimbra says that his passage was "quite positive".

"You are hired to inject your aesthetic vision," reveals the director, who has already started filming for the second season of "Outcast", series from the same creator of "The Walking Dead", and returns to Brazil for the suspense "The Hanged Ones.” "It was an apprenticeship to get to the end and maintain your vision, learnt to sell my ideas constantly. I had a lot of freedom and no imposition from the producers or from Netflix."

Finally, this new picture was included in Empire magazine's preview of Sand Castle. Much more to come.

Images: Netflix

UPDATE: We've added the Empire magazine HQ pic and article via @SergioEES (thank you).  



UPDATE #2: Full HQ pic shared by Empire.


See Sand Castle's title art, synopsis, and official running time.

Thanks so much to Rebecca for her translation, and to @Vidumavikte and @HenryCavill_HCF for the links.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Ion Cinema: 'Sand Castle' Among Most Anticipated Foreign Films


 Image: Henry Cavill 

2017 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Henry and his fans. Not only do we get to see the return of Superman in Justice League (November 17), we also get to watch Henry's portrayal of a special forces captain in Sand Castle (the screenwriter says people will be very surprised at the performance he delivers). Ion Cinema is among the film's fans..


As we  wait for official word on a release date, Ion Cinema speculates Sand Castle could first hit the festival circuit:

2017 promises to be a major festival year for Netflix (considering War Machine and Okja should also be ready), so we assume Sand Castle may be poised for competition before a theatrical and streaming release. Cannes may be unlikely, but Coimbra could be a major contender at TIFF’s Platform or Venice.

That sounds good to us.. though if that's the case we better clear our schedule, because it will be around the same time as the promotion for Justice League.

Exciting times ahead!

Friday, December 23, 2016

"Get Ready For Something Different" Sand Castle Screenwriter On Henry


As we get closer to 2017, the anticipation for Henry's Sand Castle appearance keeps growing. Earlier this month director Fernando Coimbra spoke about working with Captain Syversonand the experience of filming the Iraq war drama in Jordan. Now screenwriter Chris Roessner has shared a bit more with HCO on Henry's character:

I don’t want to give too much away. His character reveal is so exciting that I’d hate to rob the audience of that. What I will say, is that Syverson is a Special Forces team leader who exists as a character foil to our main platoon. Syverson’s business is war. He is not ‘passing through’ so to speak, like some of the other characters. There is no talk of ‘going home’ or what dreams lie ahead for him. Iraq is where he belongs, he’s been there a while, and he takes the job very seriously. One assumes that after the film ends Syverson would be shipped off somewhere else... Afghanistan, Somalia, etc. to solve the same problems. He is smart, tough, the embodiment of human potential operating at its fullest.

A photo posted by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on


How did Henry Cavill get cast for the role of Captain Syverson?

I know I speak for the Sand Castle team when I say we were all overjoyed to hear Henry wanted to play Syverson. I’d known that his brother was/is a Royal Marine and I’d heard through the grapevine that Henry takes portraying the military very seriously. Obviously, that serious attitude was shared by all of us. No one was interested in being cartoonish, or displaying chest-beating masculinity without nuance. Henry had the same outlook and that made it a perfect fit. He felt the responsibility that we all felt and we were lucky to have him.


What was it about him that made Henry a good match for the role?

Certainly, what I mentioned above. Beyond that, on a surface level, he sure as hell looked the part. I mean the guy is Superman. You’ve seen the films. He’s in ridiculous shape. And these Special Forces soldiers I know, when they aren’t on missions they’re working out. That’s the lifestyle and the body type follows. So that was clear. Then Henry shows up in Jordan and on, like, Day 1 the guy shaves his head. Now, I’ll echo what our director Fernando has said which is that Henry is virtually unrecognizable. That’s true. 
Secondly, I’d say that it’s usually the case that actors who take a role ‘against type’ do so carefully, thoughtfully, and passionately. Henry is a busy man, deservedly so, and taking the time to do our film showed a real commitment to something different. I mean, let’s be clear, there is no monetary incentive for anyone to make a war film independently. You have to be in it for the right reasons, for the story, to push yourself beyond your comfort level, to grow. Henry had that attitude and I think people will be very surprised at the performance he delivers. Get ready for something different.


A photo posted by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on


Any funny or interesting stories about Henry's time on the film?

Quite a few. My favorite is from the cast dinner, right before production. So, the whole cast is having a banquet style dinner at a nice restaurant in Amman. Henry’s seated across from me, we’d just met and hadn’t really spoken much, so I was expecting it to be a bit awkward. But the total opposite was true. We started speaking about our families, where we’re from, our upbringing, etc. It was refreshing. Now, to put it in context, I’m from the Rust Belt and the South in the U.S. I don’t get star struck by movie stars, but I do get star struck by good human beings with good values. Henry was that guy from word one. Grounded and decent. We talked a bit about our parents, the hours passed, the dinner was over, and I realized we didn’t mention the movie once. It was great.


You can read the rest of Roessner's interview over at HCO. The film is expected to be released by Netflix in 2017, but no date has been given. We'll keep you posted.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

"He's Almost Unrecognizable" Sand Castle Director On Henry


Omelete had the opportunity to interview Sand Castle director Fernando Coimbra, who talks about making the film and working with Henry. Thanks to our reader Carol (TheCralmeida), we're sharing the Q&A which was originally in Portuguese. The translation is a little rough (we paraphrased/edited a bit), but hopefully you get the gist of it.  

Shot in Jordan over six weeks, Sand Castle is undergoing the finishing touches in post-production. It shows Coimbra's vision of the Iraq war. He tells Omelette that while filming it, he learned about American military ethics, and says the movie draws parallels to what is happening in Brazil today.

The plot is set in Iraq in 2003. After the successful first ground invasion of Baghdad, a platoon of American soldiers is sent to Baquba, in the Diyala province, to repair the city's water system, damaged during the U.S. intervention in that country. The mission, which seemed simple, turns out to be a nightmare. Coimbra, who directed episodes of Narcos for Netflix, reunites with the streaming service, which bought the rights to Sand Castle when it was already in post-production.

In the following interview, Coimbra explains his approach to the reality of Iraq and the military procedures of America around the world.

How was the experience of shooting in Jordan in English, leading a multi-national cast and dealing with the thorny issue of the occupation of Iraq?

Fernando Coimbra: It was a great experience. Part of my decision to make this film came from the will to live that experience. Overall, I think it was amazing. Of course it came with its difficulties, especially after taking my family to live in the Middle East for nearly four months. Working with a multinational cast is always a very rich experience. In Narcos, I had the luxury of working with great talent in Latin America, while in Sand Castle I could work with super talented actors from the UK, United States, Egypt, Iran and Palestine. I also worked with Iraqi extras. I made sure to have real Iraqis in the film. I think it was very important for the final result, to have both American military advisers giving their point of view, as well as getting the perspective of the Jordanians and Iraqis. And that's what the film suggests, to look at both sides equally.

How was it working with Nicholas Hoult and Henry Cavill?

Coimbra: Could not have been better. Nick Hoult was already involved in the project before me. As the protagonist, he wanted to go deep with this story and this character. We had a very strong and intense collaboration. Cavill, since he read the script wanted to make the film, and this was a key factor. Even though he's involved in a multi-million dollar franchise with Superman, he wanted to do this independent film, which shows a very different side of him. We changed his look completely. He is almost unrecognizable. Cavill is a very simple and humble guy. And very easy to work with.

How did you approach the military intervention of the U.S. around the world?

Coimbra: The film is not at Americanist vision. The view of the war I deliver is not one of heroes, of glory and great deeds. The film is seen from the perspective of the soldier as an individual to show how, throughout the war, it will become more absurd and meaningless to him. And the concepts of freedom and democracy that he brought from the U.S. change once he meets Iraqi civilians and has the opportunity to have a minimum exchange with them.

What did the film teach you about military ethics?

Coimbra: There are two military ethics. There is the low-level one, trying to be as correct as possible (which is not always the case) and then there is a high-ranking one, where the real interests of war (economic and geopolitical) reside. What they sell to the soldiers is the idea that these will bring freedom and democracy to a country that lives under an oppressive regime.What is behind it, is the destabilization of the country and the delivery of its economy to international private corporations. What happened in this war, is that most of the soldiers returned home with a title in the head (?) because their motives did not match the real motivations of the war. Studying it, I began to better understand what is happening in Brazil now. It is the same process of interventionism, but without war, just like what happened in Egypt. The Obama administration has enhanced the interventionist policy in order to spend less money on the war machine and have the same result.

How are your Brazilian projects? Is there anything else on Netflix to come?

Coimbra: The only thing coming up for me on Netflix is Sand Castle (..).

Sand Castle will make its debut in 2017, though no date has been set.

Monday, August 1, 2016

Production Company Shares 'Sand Castle' Set Pic



August is kicking off with lots of exciting news and pics. Today Treehouse Pictures updated their site, and their Facebook cover is now a pic of producer Justin Nappi on the set of Sand Castle last year.

Last we heard, the film was about to be bought by Netflix at the Cannes film festival with a release set for later this year.

Treehouse Pictures only has this description on their site so far:

Credits include: SAND CASTLE (currently in post-production), directed by Fernando Coimbra and starring Nicholas Hoult and Henry Cavill.

We're expecting promotion to ramp up in the next few months, so stay tuned.

UPDATE: And it looks like it's coming sooner than we thought!




In the meantime, watch Henry describe his character as he talked to Peter Travers during the Batman v Superman promotion (at about 8:05).


We can't wait to meet you, Captain Syverson!

A photo posted by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Happy Birthday Henry Cavill, Support Durrell In His Honor


Henry turns 33 today! (it's already May 5th in London), and you guys have outdone yourselves in helping him reach his Durrell Challenge goal in time for him to blow out his candles.  

Thanks to your amazing support Henry has now surpassed his fundraising target, now let's try to reach the total amount! -- Keep leaving your messages for him on his page and remember every little counts.

Just last week Henry mentioned on Instagram just how much it means to him:

I did want to say thank you for the continuous support you have shown for the things that are dear to my heart!


Here are some other ways you can get involved in supporting him ahead of The Durrell Challenge on May 15.

You can buy raffle tickets for a chance to win Henry's first car.

You can start your own fundraiser (you don't have to run with Henry, but obviously that's the better option).

You can attend the Fun Day at Durrell Wildlife following the race, and meet some of the endangered animals (including Henry's Gorilla family) that benefit from your support.

A strong fandom accomplishes great things. Let's show Supes we have his back!

Happy birthday, Henry.

It's gonna be an amazing year, and your fans will be cheering for you the whole way.


P.S. you guys,

Don't forget to leave your birthday messages for him on his Facebook and Instagram!

Sunday, March 6, 2016

New Synopsis & Set Photo From 'Sand Castle'


This has turned out to be a fab Sunday!

Production company Voltage Films now has a page set up for Sand Castle, and it includes this new set photo and a new revealing synopsis:

Inspired by actual events, SAND CASTLE tells the gripping story of 19-year-old Matt Ocre (Nick Hoult), a machine gunner in the 2003 Iraq War. Matt and his platoon are sent on a mission to repair a damaged aqueduct in the increasingly dangerous village of Baqubah. Things quickly turn from bad to worse as the rising and deadly Sunni insurgency threatens to tip the already unstable region into full-on bloodshed and mayhem.

In the face of overwhelming adversity, Matt and his comrades-in-arms, Harper (Logan Marshall-Green), Chutsky (Glen Powell) and Burton (Beau Knapp), under the command of Captain Syverson (Henry Cavill), must tap into hidden strength and courage if they hope to get out alive

Directed by Fernando Coimbra, the acclaimed director of the award-winning thriller, “A Wolf at the Door,” SAND CASTLE provides an unvarnished look into the lives of actual soldiers during war and the true price they pay for their service.

The page also includes a link to what looks like an upcoming official site. Sand Castle is now in post-production, and is expected to hit theaters later this year. Stay tuned for updates, and check out Henry's official Facebook and Instagram,  for some cool behind the scenes shots.

Thanks to Gossipgyal and _Gardeniaa_ for the find.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

In Production: New Pictures From 'Sand Castle' Set In Jordan

A photo posted by TreeHouse Pictures (@justinnappi) on


Current mood: Henry in this movie now.

#BadassWednesday

UPDATE: And here's Mr. badass himself!


sammysheikog: "Still pretty happy after a long day on set with The Man of Steel himself @henrycavill #fun #happiness#sandcastle #film #actor #actors #superman#manofsteel #amman #jordan"

Thank you to Sammy Sheik for the pic.

Henry has been in Jordan for a few weeks now, and we have gotten a few glimpses of him -- but this is the first time he poses for a selfie.. and it's great to see that smiling face.

Production is set to wrap by January 2nd. We'll continue to bring you updates from Jordan as they come in.