TEHRAN- In the previous sections, we examined the decisive influence of the DoD on the scripts of movies such as the "Iron Man" and the "Transformers" franchise. What follows is the detailed conversation of Tehran Times with Roger Stahl, professor of communication studies at the University of Georgia.

Stahl directed the documentary "Theaters of War" (2022), a film that demonstrates how the Pentagon dictates storylines in order to align them with its preferred narratives, images, and alternative versions of history, while exerting influence over Hollywood.

The tip of the iceberg

Roger Stahl spoke about his most unexpected discoveries while making the documentary. He explained that the most surprising thing was the extent to which the military reached into almost every genre and channel of the entertainment industries:

“Before really researching the military-entertainment relationship, I had a dozen films in mind that I thought were probably influenced by some kind of deal. Some early books suggested that the number might be around one hundred and fifty. Later, the scholars who eventually collaborated on the film blew the doors off when they discovered the number was closer to a thousand films and another thousand TV shows. The list kept growing.”

The author of the book "Militainment, Inc.: War, Media, and Popular Culture" pointed out that the second surprising thing was that the Pentagon is everywhere:

“Video games, influencer channels, cooking shows, reality TV, sports events, game shows, documentaries. So, I suppose I had this misconception that this was about war films. That is the tip of the iceberg. It’s about the whole range of Hollywood film and, increasingly, this vast web of quotidian programming.”

There was no paper trail!

Roger Stahl answered yes when asked whether he had faced resistance from official or military institutions during the making of "Theaters of War", explaining:

“We asked for interviews, access to a base to film some veterans, and other things, and as soon as they found out what the documentary was about, the email conversations just went silent. So there was a lot of stonewalling, which is unusual for a public relations department. Usually, they send someone out at least for damage control. In terms of documents, they have become wise to our FOIA requests and are now releasing minimal material — usually just the Production Assistance Agreement that producers sign with the military in order to get access to the equipment.”

He noted that there was no script notes or correspondence about the nature of the film.  

“They may be destroying that material or invoking some statute that allows them to withhold it. I’m trying to get to the bottom of it. For now, we have noticed that, although they keep striking deals and helping with productions, the paper trail has mysteriously dried up,” the author added.

How will Hollywood face the Iran war?

Even as Donald Trump’s epic catastrophe following the attack on Iran has not yet come to an end, news has emerged that an American filmmaker—who has accepted many commissions from the Pentagon—is set to pick up the camera again. According to Deadline, Michael Bay, who has films such as "Transformers" series and "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" in his portfolio, will collaborate with Universal Pictures to bring to the big screen a military rescue mission involving two American pilots in Iran.

The as-yet-untitled project is based on a book by Mitchell Zuckoff, which is scheduled for publication in 2027. Zuckoff’s book “13 Hours,” about the attack on the American compound in Benghazi, was previously adapted into a film by Bay in 2016.

We also spoke with Stahl about potential future Hollywood narratives regarding the US attack on Iran. He stated that since “Iran has been a convenient boogeyman in US entertainment culture for a long time,” he expects this trend to continue:

“With regard to this current conflict, it’s shaping up to be a colossal strategic blunder on the part of the Trump administration. If the US sends in ground troops and there are casualties, then it will hit US public consciousness hard, and Hollywood will have to make a movie about it as a form of rescripting its significance—justifying those deaths as serving some greater cause, or at least showing that the military can win at the rescue game.”

On the other hand, the documentarian believed that the attack would simply be forgotten as a “war” and fade into the noise of constant news about US airstrikes around the globe:

“I’m being cynical here, but the one thing that marks this conflict for most Americans is the effect it is having on their pocketbooks — gas prices and inflation. My hunch right now is that this will be remembered less as a war than an economic crisis, even as the bombs fall on Tehran.”

Don’t let Goliath play David!

When we asked Stahl to offer some recommendations to Iranian filmmakers and documentarians on how to appropriately portray the US attack on Iran, he stated that, while expressing familiarity with Iran’s media system: 

“Iran has a right, like any other country, to defend itself from unprovoked outside attack. That includes battling the narratives that justify those attacks. There’s an opportunity here to uphold and appeal to universal values and human rights.”

He pointed out that much of the world, including a portion of the US, is horrified by this unprovoked attack as a blatant violation of international law. The author said he knew that the story has a hard time getting through, but that it is an important one: “who moved first, who is David and who is Goliath.”

The director of "Theaters of War" added that people are also horrified by the brazen strikes against civilians—war crimes and threats of even greater war crimes—and explained:

“We need to hear the stories of regular Iranians poisoned by the oil refinery strike, surviving the massacre of schoolchildren, or living under the daily threat of bombs. Some of the documentaries that came out of Gaza were extremely powerful, and they followed one person, one episode.”

Stahl stated that it’s so important to put an everyday human face on Iran—not just as victimized, but as proud and defiant.

“The US public does not see that, and I think there is an opportunity to identify with it,” he added.

Trump’s “Operation Epstein Fury”

The documentarian explained that, on the other hand, there are the twisted motivations and foibles of the Trump administration itself.

“Everywhere in the US—from left to right—there’s a sense that this is not ‘Operation Epic Fury’ but ‘Operation Epstein Fury.’ The ridicule is growing, and there is a huge vacuum where there would normally be an attempt to justify or legitimize the attack. It’s a clown show: the chaos, braggadocio, and false moves.”

Stahl added at the end:

“That’s part of the story, too, and it needs to be put on full, agonizing display if the US is ever going to course-correct.”

Concluded. 

AH/SAB