Several Western entertainment outlets have announced a new film about Saddam Hussein titled "Uncle Saddam," in which Irish actor Barry Keoghan will take on the lead role. Keoghan will portray the American soldier assigned to guard the former Iraqi president during his final days, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter.
The project's promotional announcement states: "In the six months leading up to Saddam's execution, our soldier got close to Saddam, sharing the stale air of a palace that had been bombed and turned into a heavily guarded prison, while navigating the fine line between truth and fiction." It adds, "The film aims to account for the American imperial machine that has come to define the 21st century."
Keoghan, who starred in "The Banshees of Inisherin" and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in that film, will play the lead in "Uncle Saddam." The film is based on the book "The Prisoner in His Palace" by writer Will Bardenwerper. It follows the story of an American soldier among twelve tasked with guarding Hussein in the days leading up to his execution.
It is noteworthy that writer Bardenwerper is a contributor to the "New York Times" and the "Washington Post," and he served as a qualified infantry officer in the airborne forces in Iraq before joining the Pentagon in 2010 as a fellow in the presidential administration, where he spent the following four years.
