--- title: "‘Fog of War’ director on his new slow-burn WW2 thriller" date: "2025-04-03" modified: "2025-04-03" authors: - name: "Shannon Corbeil" job_title: "Contributor, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/scorbeil/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/entertainment/fog-of-war-director-on-his-new-slow-burn-ww2-thriller/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" --- # ‘Fog of War’ director on his new slow-burn WW2 thriller ![A man in a vintage military uniform with gold buttons and insignia sits next to a woman wearing a brown hat with decorative points and a checkered coat. They are seated on a train with wooden window frames, and the woman is looking affectionately at the man, who is smiling slightly while looking out the window. In the background, two other women with hats are partially visible, facing away.]() *Photo courtesy Decal Releasing* *With World War II raging around them, Gene, an injured American pilot, and his fiancée Penny, an OSS agent, find themselves stranded on a remote estate. As the Allies plan the D-Day Invasion, the couple become aware of a Nazi spy hiding amongst them with stolen documents bound for Germany. Unsure of who to trust, and facing danger around every corner, they must uncover the spy’s identity as the outcome of the war hangs in the balance.* From Decal, the film distribution company that gave us *Anora* (2025 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture) and *Anatomy of a Fall* (2024 Academy Award Winner for Best Original Screenplay) comes the new spy thriller *Fog of War,* written by Luke Langsdale and directed by Michael Day. ## WATCH THE TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU7-mfmIOzM We had the chance to catch up with the director, who shared that the film was loosely based on true events. “The writer is from a village in Europe and there was a farm where they had some people working. One night people saw weird flashes in the woods. It looked like Morse Code and they started asking around and police zeroed in on a family. Two or three days later, the military came and took this family away. No one knows what happened to them,” shared Day. From there, Langsdale wrote the screenplay for *Fog of War,* which delves into the idea of Axis spies hiding among a small population — now in the Northeastern United States during World War II. ![A man with short, disheveled hair and dirt and scratches on his face is peering cautiously from behind a tree in a forest. He wears a yellow life jacket over a dark shirt and has a focused, intense expression. The background is blurred with tall trees and natural light filtering through.]() *Photo courtesy Decal Releasing.* “World War II was a time period that is still close enough to modern day for everyone we know to be affected by it directly. Our grandparents fought in the war — my grandfather forged his paperwork to join the military while he was underage,” Day said of the time period. “The entire country had to rally together.” More importantly, they had to rally to defeat one of film’s favorite antagonists: the Nazis. ![A man wearing a brown fedora hat, round glasses, a brown coat, a blue vest, and a red tie is sitting indoors with his hand partially covering his mouth, looking thoughtfully to the side. The background features a red and white wall, a wooden chair, a framed floral painting, and a glimpse into another room with a yellow striped sofa and a window with curtains.]() *Photo courtesy Decal Releasing* “Nazis are the ultimate evil,” affirmed Day. “They’re the devil on earth. There’s no other way to put it. From a storytelling perspective, this made for an interesting script once we meet our Nazi supporters — it’s so fascinating as a character piece to get into the headspace of someone who has convinced themselves that they are right, when history clearly shows how wrong they were.” One of the actors in the film is former Navy SEAL David B. Meadows, who was thrilled to get to work in a story he described as a “slow burn, off-kilter period piece set in the Northeastern fog.” “I love stories that are more than meets the eye,” he shared. “You have to pay attention to the details.” ![A close-up of a woman with long brown hair wearing a brown hat and a checkered coat, looking slightly upward and smiling softly. The background is blurred with greenish light coming through windows.]() *Photo courtesy Decal Releasing.* I asked him if his military experience helps him in his acting career. “It does, but not the way most people expect,” he confirmed. “The military requires emotional control and regulation, which is not the kind of limited space you want to be in as an actor. For the first few years, I was frustrated because I was approaching roles filtered through that military experience. I had to learn to identify hold-ups and to go at acting and emotions with fresh eyes.” On the other hand, SEAL training gave him the kind of dedication and discipline that most successful actors are known for, the kind that allow someone to be committed to their craft. “SEAL training was constant and thankless, but years of that gets you ready for the one time you get called to do something cool.” Kind of like booking a major motion picture. That kind of discipline and attitude impacts the rest of a film crew. “David was so great. He was always early and stayed late. He was always helping. If we were moving gear, he’d grab it and move it with us,” boasted Day. That kind of teamwork is something that makes a tight film schedule — *Fog of War* filmed in about 15 days, an absolute whirlwind for a war film — run smoothly. ![A woman with blonde, curled hair wearing a light brown top with embroidered designs stands in front of a red-framed fireplace. The background includes framed pictures and a wooden chair. She has a slight smile and is looking to the side.]() *Photo courtesy Decal Releasing* *Fog of War* stars Jake Abel, Brianna Hildebrand, Géza Röhrig, John Cusack, Mira Sorvino, David B. Meadows, Sal Rendino, David Gere, Julia Ebner, Chris Maher, and Greg Nutcher. It releases on Demand Friday, April 4, 2025. Pre-order Available on [Apple](), [Amazon](), and [Fandango at Home](). ## Author Shannon Corbeil has worked for We Are The Mighty as a digital video producer, writer, and host, as well as a staff writer covering military history, trivia, and valor. Shannon is a fierce veteran advocate, covering the achievements of members of the military community and volunteering in multiple veteran non-profit organizations, including Pin-Ups for Vets and Warriors for Peace Theatre. Her undergraduate degree is in Humanities and Philosophy and her Masters is in Strategic Intelligence. A screenwriter and actor recently seen on SEAL TEAM and THE ROOKIE, Shannon writes about exciting projects in the entertainment industry. She is an alum of the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Project, a Finalist in the Disney TV Writing Fellowship, an inaugural fellow for the STARZ/VME #TakeTheLead Program, and has performed at the Geffen Playhouse and Kennedy Center as a writer, dancer, singer, and actor. As a U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer, Shannon supported the 25th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base, South Korea, and conducted Cyber Threat Analysis at the National Security Agency. Her work has been seen in Business Insider, Task & Purpose, Military.com, and various other publications. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()