Variety reports that Stephen Dorff has signed on to star in Zaytoun, a movie that’s being co-produced by the United Kingdom and Israel, with a script by Palestinian screenwriter Nader Rizq. Set in the year 1982, the film sees Dorff playing David, an Israeli fighter pilot who’s shot down over Beirut and forms an alliance with a 10-year-old Palestinian refugee as they both try to make their way home through war-torn Lebanon. Shooting begins on March 12th; Eran Riklis (Lemon Tree) is directing.
Zaytoun will be the first production under the new UK-Israel co-production treaty which was ratified in November of last year, while distribution rights are already being handled for both the French-speaking territories as well as Israel itself, with no mention of a distribution deal set for the UK or North America. Expect that to be handled later on, possibly after the movie wraps or has already seen release in these areas.
After almost staging a comeback with 2009’s Public Enemies and 2010’s Somewhere Dorff has mostly gone back direct to DVD movies (most recent being last year’s Carjacked with Maria Bello) and has been pretty absent from the mainstream minus a somewhat memorable supporting role in Immortals (memorable being “he was one of the only interesting characters”). He’s definitely talented, and, hopefully, Zaytoun will lead to some good things for him — but I wouldn’t expect a theatrical release stateside, save for maybe boutique theaters or art houses.
What are your thoughts on Zaytoun or Stephen Dorff in general? Is he still just “the villain from Blade” in your eyes, or has he been able to move past that?