Michael Bay To Direct Benghazi Drama '13 Hours'

It was probably inevitable that Hollywood would attempt a cinematic rendition of the attack in Benghazi, Libya on a U.S. State Department compound. What exactly happened that night is still a politically charged issue, and so we’d reasonably assume that a filmmaker with some sense of nuance and care would be assigned the job. We were wrong.

THR reports that Michael Bay — yep, the guy who made four "Transformers" movies — is in talks to direct "13 Hours." The movie will be based on the book by Mitchell Zuckoff, with a script from Chuck Hogan ("The Town," "The Strain") that will focus on the six members of the security team that struggled to defend American life during the attack. And while the film is described as a "political drama," we’d wager there’s still some room in there for Bay-style explosions. Though maybe not Victoria’s Secret models. Here’s the book synopsis:

The harrowing, true account from the brave men on the ground who fought back during the Battle of Benghazi.

13 HOURS presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. A team of six American security operators fought to repel the attackers and protect the Americans stationed there. Those men went beyond the call of duty, performing extraordinary acts of courage and heroism, to avert tragedy on a much larger scale. This is their personal account, never before told, of what happened during the thirteen hours of that now-infamous attack.

13 HOURS sets the record straight on what happened during a night that has been shrouded in mystery and controversy. Written by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff, this riveting book takes readers into the action-packed story of heroes who laid their lives on the line for one another, for their countrymen, and for their country.

13 HOURS is a stunning, eye-opening, and intense book–but most importantly, it is the truth. The story of what happened to these men–and what they accomplished–is unforgettable.

The movie is set up at Paramount, with a budget of $30-40 million, but no word yet on when it might shoot. And while we’ll give Bay the benefit of the doubt here, we’re still pretty wary. His last movie attempting a real-life historical event was "Pearl Harbor," and even his version of an indie project with "Pain & Gain" was garish in all the ways we currently expect from Bay. That said, we’re willing and hoping to be pleasantly surprised.