Chris Pratt Teams With 'Charlie's Angels' Director to Adapt Jocko Willink Book to Film

This summer, Chris Pratt will begin filming Way of the Warrior Kid, with McG directing the Will Staples-scripted adaptation of Jock Willink's novel. Willink is a retired Navy SEAL who has found a thriving second career as a podcast host, bestselling author, and motivational speaker.

The novel is a youth empowerment story about a bullied kid who suffers from crippling self-doubt. Until his uncle Jake, a Navy SEAL who was injured on a mission, moved in with his sister to recuperate. A new mission for Jake begins when he finds his 11-year-old nephew struggling academically, socially, and physically, and he uses his SEAL Team training to help him find his inner warrior over three months of summer.

Using his second career guiding adults, Willink got to know Pratt after he transformed into the ripped leading man of Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers, and Jurassic World. After reading YA books to his children, Willink decided to write his own, finding them lacking in qualities.

"I spent my adult life in the military," he told Deadline. "I was in the SEAL Teams, deployed all over the place, went up through the chain of command, and was lucky to have had a blessed career. That whole time, I also had a wife and four kids. I wanted to read them books and I would go to the store or to the library and I just couldn't find any that I liked. The straw that broke the camel's back was a pirate book. And it was filled with the weakest, most pathetic pirates I'd ever heard of in my life."

Willink felt there were no depictions of kids who understood that turning their lives around requires hard work. "So I started writing and publishing these kids' books to give them value and some direction, and suddenly I'm getting letters and emails and handwritten notes from kids all over the world, who did their first pull up or entered their first jujitsu competition, or memorized all the presidents. These are all things that are in the books."

Ben Everard, McG, Mary Viola, Willink, and Pratt will produce the film. "Will Staples' screenplay is incredible," Pratt told Deadline. "I've known Jocko Willink for a couple of years, so I was eager to read the script based on his series of children's books. I believe in the power of storytelling and felt particularly called to the material. I have faith this film will help to shape today's youth, putting them on the right path. Our young people need this movie. 

"Making films like this is why I created Indivisible Productions. In a world that feels divided, I believe it's crucial to remember that we are one nation, and I hope this story will help bridge the growing divide and inspire the next generation to learn valuable lessons about discipline, self-reliance, strength, and compassion. This is the kind of movie that can define a generation, like Karate Kid or Rocky. As a dad, this is the kind of movie I want to show my kids. So, with the help of an incredible creative team and the right partner, we're gonna make it.

"What I feel especially drawn to with my character, Jake, is the opportunity to portray a character that seems to be missing in contemporary pop culture, as well as in the lives of so many young people: a mindful portrayal of healthy masculinity," Pratt said. "Jake uses fundamental principles he learned in the Navy SEALs to teach his nephew to gain confidence in himself, as well as to grow mentally and physically stronger in order to overcome adversity such as dealing with bullies, improving grades at school, and more. 

"I have close family members and friends who served in the military, including my older brother, who has had a huge impact on my life. So, I always feel especially drawn to stories like this that inspire us to face our fears and become stronger mentally and physically."