SHSWFIF OPTIONS “THUNDER RUN: THE ARMORED STRIKE TO CAPTURE BAGHDAD”
HOUSTON, TX (January 7, 2026) – Sam Houston Southwest Film Investment Fund is in active development on the screen adaptation of the non-fiction book THUNDER RUN: THE ARMORED STRIKE TO CAPTURE BAGHDAD, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize written by journalist David Zucchino who was embedded with the Second Brigade’s three battalions during Gulf War II.
THUNDER RUN chronicles one of the boldest gambles in modern military history. Three battalions and fewer than a thousand men launched a violent thrust of tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles into the heart of a city of five million people and in three days of bloody combat ended the Iraqi war. It’s the story of the surprise assault on Baghdad — one of the most decisive battles in American combat history — by the Spartan Brigade, the Second Brigade of the Third Infantry Division (Mechanized).
“More than just a dramatic retelling of a singular battle, THUNDER RUN intimately recounts how those brave soldiers responded under intense fire and stress and how human frailties were magnified in a war zone,” remarked Steven Jon Whritner, Sam Houston’s EVP Production and Development. “David Zucchino was an eyewitness to history, painstakingly recording the events in his extraordinary book. Our film in director Simon West’s capable hands will tell the thrilling true story of how a single armored brigade was able to capture an Arab capital defended by one of the world’s largest armies.”
THUNDER RUN is a Sam Houston Studios production in association with Deerhound Entertainment and Plymouth Rock Entertainment. Director: Simon West (“Con Air”, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”, “The General’s Daughter”). Producers: Jib Polhemus (“The Expendables 2”, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”), Austin Raywood and Steven Jon Whritner. Executive Producer: Steve Hill. Book by David Zucchino.
Sam Houston Southwest Film Investment Fund is chartered to promote filmmaking in the Southwest region of the United States, while fostering creative talent and bringing quality entertainment to a global audience. Through strategic alliances with leading production companies and distributors, Sam Houston provides financing for every phase of content creation, from development through production and distribution.
For more information regarding the Sam Houston Southwest Film Investment Fund, please visit samhoustonswfilmfund.com.
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