Channing Tatum Surprises Sundance With Secret Role in ‘Atropia’

Channing Tatum brought some movie star heat to a snowy Sundance this weekend, popping up in a previously unannounced role in one of the festival’s premiere titles.

Tatum has a scene-stealing cameo in “Atropia,” the feature directorial debut from Hailey Gates. The film is led by Alia Shawkat and British heatseeker Callum Turner. It follows the wild true story of completely fabricated villages on U.S. military bases, where actors and stunt crew helped troops prepare for the Iraq War.

Shawkat and Turner play performers for hire on one such elaborate set, thrilled by the news that a bona fide American movie star (Tatum) will participate in a chemical weapon attack simulation to prepare for an upcoming role.

Tatum is perfect as a douchey A-lister, looking for authenticity and street cred alongside real soldiers in a make-believe scenario. At Variety‘s Sundance Studio presented by Audible, Shawkat revealed she was the one who bagged Tatum for a cameo — but not without a little suspense.

“Chan has been an amazing friend,” Shawkat said. “We emailed him and asked him to come do it. He responded — but he didn’t respond right away — and said, ‘I’m in, what’s the date?’”

Director Gates was deeply entrenched in the world of these training camps, having researched a documentary for years prior to pivoting to scripted narrative. After filming a small role in “Challengers,” her friend and director Luca Guadagnino came on board as a producer of “Atropia.”

“It was my most romantic writing experience because he was first reader,” Gates told Variety. “I was writing directly toward him.”

Read more about Gates and her ambitious new satire here.