American filmmaker Michael Bay is developing a feature film about the rescue of the pilots of an F-15E fighter jet shot down over Iran in April during Operation Epic Fury. He personally confirmed his intention to make a film about “real heroism” to Deadline.
The incident with the F-15E fighter jet was the first of its kind in the military conflict between the United States and Iran that began this year. The United States confirmed on April 2 that the plane was shot down from Iranian territory, and one pilot was evacuated from the crash site. President Donald Trump announced the rescue of the second soldier two days later, noting that he was seriously wounded and was hiding in the mountains from enemy forces. The names of the pilots were not disclosed, and they themselves did not comment to the media.
As Deadline sources noted, Bay's film about the rescue of pilots in Iran will be released by the film studio Universal Pictires. It will be a film adaptation of an unpublished book by American journalist and writer Mitchell Zuckoff about these events. The film will likely not be released until 2027, as the book is scheduled to be published around then.
Bay previously filmed Zukoff's novel 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi about a militant attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. The filmmaker emphasized that, unlike that incident in 2012, the military in Iran immediately came to the rescue.
“I have developed a wonderful partnership over a 30-year career with the Department of War and the wonderful American military. This film will be dedicated to everyone who responded to the call for help during one of the most complex and risky operations in recent history. It will perpetuate the true heroism and unwavering devotion of our military personnel,” the director noted.
Bay, 61, is known as a director of massive blockbusters. He directed such films as “Armageddon” with Bruce Willis, “Pearl Harbor” and five parts of the “Transformers” franchise. In 2025, he created a recruiting video for the US Secret Service, which protects top government officials.
According to CNN, Bay's work cost the government agency $2 million, and one of the heroes of the ad was Trump, whom Bay personally filmed at Andrews Air Force Base next to his government plane.
