The Story Behind the Scenes
We explore the story behind The Misfits, a movie that was scripted to tarnish a country’s reputation but then overtaken by real events.
An action movie with global stars, fast cars and an exotic location is nothing new.
But the politics behind the scenes of The Misfits, a recent high-octane movie release, reveals its own story – one of producer power struggles, money, influence, politics, and an apparent attempt to tarnish the reputation of a country.
Production on the film began while Qatar was under a blockade by four of its Arab neighbours, including the UAE. When a new Abu Dhabi-based producer took over financing The Misfits, the story, location and focus shifted from a Caribbean crime caper to one involving Qatar and a “terror” plot. Then real political events overtook the fiction, so a watered-down version of the movie was hastily made and released – still with some lingering Qatar references.
This investigation explores the lengths taken to try and alter the public perception of Qatar through the production of an adventure movie. It asks: Why was so much money and effort spent on this project? Who was really behind it? And how much damage can a film like this – even in its revised version – inflict?