Ubisoft has premiered a ground-breaking documentary, which is set to offer one of the most revealing insights to date into the drug trade in South America, and the battle to contain it. The documentary has been released on major digital platforms – Amazon Instant Video, Amazon Prime, and iTunes – the feature-length film, titled “Wildlands”, will showcase the real stories that have served to inspire the fictitious characters and themes explored in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, the acclaimed videogame release from Ubisoft.
The documentary explores the real-life stories of key figures, who have been at the centre of the war on drugs over the last thirty years. Viewers will accompany narrator Rusty Young, author of New York Times best-seller, Marching Powder, as he meets the people who have been involved in shaping the cocaine trade in South America – many of whom are telling their stories for the first time. Travelling from Bolivia, and up through to the United States, he finds himself immersed with fascinating stories of characters from both sides of the law – from the coca farmers, through the drug supply chain, to the Special Forces soldiers fighting the war on drugs – to get a raw snapshot of drug trafficking and production in South America over the past 30 years.
Originally slated for launch in March 2017, the release date for Wildlands was postponed, enabling further exploration of all key regions of South America, where the cocaine trade has left an indelible mark.
Viewers can now finally piece together the jigsaw of the cocaine trade from its original inception by a handful of opportunistic Colombian smugglers to the blood-soaked global empire that it has now become.
Developed in partnership with Chief Productions, Wildlands captures the stories of some of the most influential voices on the subject. For the very first time, these diverse characters are brought together to give a broad perspective on a global crisis. Bolivia, Colombia and North America form the landscape for this complex story of the battle between law enforcement and criminal organisations seeking to monopolise a multi-billion-dollar illegal industry.
Director Colin Offland described the process involved in gathering the compelling and visceral source material; “We spoke to the people who know the drug trade better than anyone else – iconic characters, from either side of the law, who have defined this continent’s notorious image. The war on drugs is a complex one and we give viewers unprecedented insight into the people who have shaped this landscape, enabling a better understanding of a global issue which affects us all.”
“When we finished the original edit, we felt that there were a few loose strands connecting the past to the modern-day cocaine trade and it was a key decision to delay the launch and protect the integrity of the story that we wanted to tell. For the first time as a viewer, you can see an abridged, true depiction of the birth and proliferation of the cocaine trade.”
Wildlands introduces the compelling, unbelievable, and often devastating life stories of several individuals, including George Jung: The man known for hooking North America on cocaine. George Jung was a major player in the cocaine trade during the 1970s and 80s and was immortalised by Johnny Depp in the movie ‘Blow’; Adam Newbold: A former Navy SEAL with over 20 years’ combat experience, Adam has worked throughout South America; Tomas McFadden: Reformed drug trafficker, and subject of “Marching Powder”, reveals the tricks of his trade, which saw him become a prolific smuggler, until the day he was arrested with 5kg of cocaine at La Paz airport – leading to a lengthy stay at the notorious San Pedro Prison.
Alongside these individuals, Wildlands introduces traffickers, smugglers, money launderers, informants and the law enforcers that help shape this complex jigsaw.
For more information about Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands and the latest beta news, be sure and visit www.ghostrecon.com
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