Espinosa is set to direct the film adaptation, which would star Gyllenhaal.
Jake Gyllenhaal is reteaming with his Life director Daniel Espinosa for an adaptation of the Rolling Stone article, "The Anarchists vs. ISIS."

Espinosa is set to direct the film adaptation and will produce under his newly formed production banner BOZI alongside Ninestories’ producers Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker. Bold Films chairman Michel Litvak will also produce, and CEO Gary Michael Walters will executive produce.

The Rolling Stone article, written by Seth Harp, tells the true story of a ragtag team of American volunteers, socialists and outcasts who are fighting alongside the Kurdish militia known as the YPG to beat ISIS in Syria and establish an anarchist collective amid the rubble of war.

“Thematically, we’re often attracted to material about the search for identity, especially in a world where it’s become easier to feel less and less connected," said Marker in a statement. "Seth’s story is about people who abandon everything that’s familiar as a means to connect in the most brutal of circumstances.”

rip

swampman posted:

It is slightly meaningful that most of ISIS' ranks are not Syrian. Muslim is a big place after all. So what ppg did might have actually been more constructive than, say, trying to spread communism among SF junkies from the back of a florists' shop. if left floristry is even a career path in Mossad

what's the israeli secret service got to do with leftist floristry

Horselord posted:

herbsaint posted:

So it's actually probably bad to be a white american guy going to shoot muslim people in Syria right? Like even if the muslims are in ISIS I think it's potentially not a very communist thing to. not to be too phil greaves about it but why exactly do the YPG need/want him? That's confusing to me too

he's thrown away his US citizenship by joining what everyone knows is a front for a group listed in most NATO countries as a terrorist organisation. could you explain in that context how being a "white american guy" makes it bad for him to sacrifice his place in the world for the sake of an oppressed people?

when we say stuff like the "its bad the US bombs syria" its because there's an explainable imperialist process there. it's not because we play a game of identity politics rock paper scissors.

likewise when you say "what does the YPG get out of him", is it not real obvious? they get one more soldier at minimum. you need soldiers to fight wars. as a bonus they've also got a new and very effective international propaganda channel, called shitposting

Copjacketing or condemning Brace isn't my intended position here, I made this post w/ the intent of soliciting takes like your reply, bc the issue isn't one I've reached a real "stance" on yet. I don't think Brace is evil or CIA or anything. Maybe a little nutty, sure, but this is the zzone we're posting on here. I bring up the issue of "white american guy" not to play "identity politics" games with you, but because white american guys (w/ guns) occupy a distinct, relevant historical role in the middle east. By PPG's own admission most of the other white folks he went through training with and met have been a grab-bag mix of dishonorably discharged US soldiers, the literally insane, and professional mercs. (this was on his chapo interview.) Given this group, and uh, you know, all the Other Wars from Before I don't think it's identity politics bullshit to suggest that maybe Syrians aren't entirely elated to be rescued or w/e by Americans, or that there might be some potential issues with loading your army full of westerners, half of whom are on some rambo, "im here to finish the fight" Iraq war shit. Not accusing PPG specifically of this, I don't doubt his appropriately rigorous ML sentiments, but he's one guy among many there.

Also: on the citizenship question--I thought the same (he might have a hard time getting back into the US) but in the same interview he mentioned planning to return soon, so maybe YPG isn't technically no fly yet, or he's got some other plan? He's gotta be on some state list by now though.

Horselord posted:

I have to wonder how someone finds the rhizzone without knowing that the negative military actions of Americans in the middle east is because they are usually in an army fighting to further the imperialism of America, and not because they are white.

Now, since we know pisspig isn't in an army that's fighting to further the imperialism of America, and in fact is doing the exact opposite at tremendous personal risk for no gain, we can pretty easily answer the question "is pisspig bad?"

The answer is no, you smoothbrain, pisspig is not bad.

The rest of your post is just you trying to interpret becoming a private in an international brigade with Hollywood white Savior stories like dancing with wolves, and then assuming that the Kurdish army feels the same way. What is wrong with you

Colddays basically summarized my point but lol do u maybe wanna try reading the post again? The question has literally never been "is pisspig bad?" I don't think he is, nor did I express that sentiment. Yeah sure the YPG is an "international brigade" but, obviously, the vast majority of their members are Syrians and Kurds, with local, specifically Kurdish or Syrian sociopolitical, economic, etc motivations for joining up. This is a markedly different group of ppl than the aforementioned ex-US marines who clearly have no real attachment to kurdish national claims nor are especially interested in socialism (in one country or many) or anti-imperialism. You've also come up with some weird argument here that I've just invented, on my own, the whole ""white savior" issue and the Kurds definitely don't care, but I think there's plenty of evidence that YPG folks definitely do have issues with American/local tension: Western soldiers and "natives" are trained and fight in largely separate groups. According to PPG himself, western folks also see a lot less fighting (ofc) and have much more restricted freedom of travel. Clearly there's some tension there. The YPG is not imperialist obviously, but there are many individuals within it, including ppl who were literally members of the US army who don't actually give much of a shit about what is and isn't imperialism.

also suck my dick from the back

Horselord posted:

herbsaint posted:

You've also come up with some weird argument here that I've just invented, on my own, the whole ""white savior" issue and the Kurds definitely don't care

No, I said that you got it from cultural criticism of hollywood movies, and are trying to apply it to real life. This a weird and bad thing to do because volunteers in international brigades cannot be more different from hollywood white saviours. PPG and similar volunteers are not spending five minutes in rojava and becoming dances with wolves slash gordon freeman types whom the revolution depends on. They're low ranking soldiers who go through training and then get deployed just like everyone else.

herbsaint posted:

but I think there's plenty of evidence that YPG folks definitely do have issues with American/local tension: Western soldiers and "natives" are trained and fight in largely separate groups. According to PPG himself, western folks also see a lot less fighting (ofc) and have much more restricted freedom of travel. Clearly there's some tension there.

no, putting people who speak the same language into the same battalions isn't sign of ethnic or national "tension". That's just what you do if you want to fight a war. When you ask your comrade on the right to pass you a fresh magazine you'd like to get your fresh magazine, not hear him say "gêzika karebayî" until the ISIS-fucker gets within detonation range because you're out of bullets.

herbsaint posted:

The YPG is not imperialist obviously, but there are many individuals within it, including ppl who were literally members of the US army who don't actually give much of a shit about what is and isn't imperialism.

Maybe you're confused by the independent-actor nature of call of duty games or w/e but irl the personal politics of a soldier are secondary to their ability to follow orders. The YPG screen out anyone who's too shit to be useful to them, they don't have to create special imperialist honky brigades to put them in.

what are your sources?

colddays posted:

Nobody said that PPG is bad

I did, his shameless self-promotion is extremely unbecoming of anyone taking part in revoluitionary activities. The only acceptable social media presence for a person in his position should be entirely outwardly focused and take advantage of the opportunity to counter anti-Syrian propaganda from the west, instead it's a circus of masturbatory internet narcissist bullshit and completely counterproductive to the ostensible purpose of his presence there

chickeon posted:

colddays posted:
Nobody said that PPG is bad


I did, his shameless self-promotion is extremely unbecoming of anyone taking part in revoluitionary activities. The only acceptable social media presence for a person in his position should be entirely outwardly focused and take advantage of the opportunity to counter anti-Syrian propaganda from the west, instead it's a circus of masturbatory internet narcissist bullshit and completely counterproductive to the ostensible purpose of his presence there

i don't think posting forms filled out as if by a sovereign citizen when you capture an isis tax office is harming the cause of kurdish self determination or socialism