According to a report by Deadline, Weinstein TV has announced that they have acquired a multi-season prison drama series called Guantanamo, which comes from acclaimed director Oliver Stone and writer-producer Daniel Voll (The Unit).
Based on the controversial American prison located off the coast of Cuba, the series will follow prisoners of the camp. Stone will direct season one, this being Stone’s first time as a director in scripted television. Voll will serve as showrunner. Alexandra Milchan (The Wolf of Wall Street) will produce, along with Weinstein Television.
Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company, said:
It’s always been a dream of mine to work with Oliver. I’m a longtime fan and he’s one of our greatest filmmakers of all time. This is explosive material that will work from all sides. Daniel Voll’s incredible resume will make this amazing collaboration between him and Oliver both newsworthy and super watchable.
Daniel Voll also said the following:
Oliver and I are excited about creating an immersive, highly cinematic series, filled with twists and turns, that explores the dark side of how America prosecutes its war on terror.
President Bush opened the camp in 2002 to combat the ‘war on terror’. Since its opening, 780 men have been brought to Guantanamo. President Obama wanted to close the camp, but was met with opposition. During his administration, they succeeded in reducing the number of inmates from about 245 to 41, with most former detainees either gaining freedom or being transferred to other countries. At the camp, there has been alleged torture, drugging, sexual degradation, and religious persecution. There has been believed to have been nearly two dozen minors (under the age of 18) detained at the camp, which breaks international law. There have been nearly 30 suicide attempts over the last 15 years.
Stone released his latest film Snowden starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Shailene Woodley, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. Stone is most well-known for his films Scarface starring Al Pacino and Platoon starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and Charlie Sheen.