Brad Pitt’s McChrystal movie ‘War Machine’ acquired by Netflix

Netflix is getting into the Brad Pitt business. The streaming service has come aboard to produce and distribute “War Machine,” a satirical comedy starring Pitt and inspired by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, according to an announcement Monday.

Australian filmmaker David Michod (“Animal Kingdom”) is directing “War Machine” from his own script based on Michael Hastings’ nonfiction book “The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan.” Hastings’ book expanded on his incendiary 2010 Rolling Stone profile, “The Runaway General,” which precipitated McChrystal’s resignation.

In that vein, “War Machine” is to tell the story of a rock-star four-star general (Pitt) whose lethal reputation and impeccable track record vault him to command the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Determined to end the intractable conflict with a radical new approach, the general and his motley staff navigate international alliances, Washington politics, the media and the day-to-day war on the ground.

The film will be released internationally on Netflix next year and will also get a theatrical release, presumably to qualify for the Oscars and other awards. Principal photography is scheduled to start in August.

Netflix is producing “War Machine” with Plan B, Pitt’s production company. (New Regency and RatPac Entertainment were previously on board but are no longer involved.)

“War Machine” represents Netflix’s latest and starriest endeavor into the realm of original feature films. The company will release “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II: The Green Legend” with the Weinstein Co. later this year and also has deals with Adam Sandler, the Duplass brothers, Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman) and Cary Fukunaga to produce and distribute new movies.

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