Not long ago, we reported that Michael Bay’s next directorial effort would be something a little more serious, and something which will probably feature fewer robots: ‘13 Hours,’ a Benghazi-based action drama. The first actor to sign up for what’s been affectionately called “Bayghazi” is John Krasinski, the former star of NBC’s ‘The Office.’ Presumably he’ll do more than shrug at Michael Bay’s camera.

Variety reports that Krasinski is the first actor to enlist for Bay’s new project, ‘13 Hours,’ which is based on the true story of the attack on the U.S. Special Mission compound in Benghazi, Libya, on the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attack on September 11. Krasinski will play a leading role as one of the Navy SEALs around which the story is centered.

‘13 Hours’ is scripted by Chuck Hogan and based on the Mitchell Zuckoff book ‘Thirteen Hours: A Firsthand Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi.’ According to the trade report, several other actors have been reading for roles in the film, including Woody Harrelson, Walton Goggins, Shea Whigham, and recent Golden Globe-winner J.K. Simmons—clearly Bay is looking for a specific sort of character actor, and it would be kind of awesome to see any one of those guys star in a Bay film, especially someone as underutilized and oft-overlooked as Whigham.

No word yet on when ‘13 Hours’ will hit theaters, but this is definitely beginning to sound like an interesting project.

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