Netflix wanted to get a Brad Pitt movie so badly that chief content officer Ted Sarandos made War Machine the streaming service’s priciest film investment yet.

The project was announced on June 8, with David Michod (Animal Kingdom, The Rover) directing. The film will be produced by Pitt’s Plan B and is inspired by Michael Hastings’ The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War In Afghanistan. It will be about a four-star general - inspired by the real retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal - who tries to build international alliances while commanding U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

When the project was first announced, Deadline reported that Netflix committed $30 million to the project. However, this week, The Hollywood Reporter claimed that the cost is double that at $60 million.

THR reports that New Regency, which made 12 Years A Slave with Plan B, was initially working on the project, but they wanted the $60-70 million budget lowered. Sarandos stepped in and agreed to a $60 million budget.

Whatever the cost of the project actually is, it is Netflix’s biggest play in the film world. Outside of its four-movie deal with Adam Sandler, the service spent $17 million on Jadotville with Jamie Dornan and $12 million on Idris Elba’s Beasts of No Nation.

War Machine is expected to be in theaters next year before it hits Netflix.

image courtesy of INFphoto.com