In 2019, director Rod Lurie teamed with Scott Eastwood in the critically acclaimed film The Outpost. Fast forward seven years, and the duo reunites for another war film based on true events, Lucky Strike. Roadside Attractions and Saban Films will release the film nationwide on June 26. Ahead of the film’s release, we had the chance to sit down with Lurie and Eastwood about reuniting and bringing this project to life.
Lucky Strike is set on the eve of the Battle of the Bulge, which follows Allied soldier John Castle (Scott Eastwood) deep behind German lines as the Nazi Panzer army advances. Castle, armed with only a Motorola SCR-300, must use a spy craft and tactical nerve to evade capture and find his way to safety. Starring alongside Eastwood are Colin Hanks, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Taylor John Smith.
Director Rod Lurie and star Scott Eastwood Talk Lucky Strike
Geek Vibes Nation: Talk to me about the preparation for this role, right? You’ve played this military type in the past. How did that help here, and how did you navigate this story and find yourself in this character?
Scott Eastwood: Yeah, I think it came to me at a perfect time. Because I had done several war movies, including our movie, The Outpost. So I felt like I had done all the tours. I had done my Pacific tour, European tour, and I had even gone to Afghanistan. You carry all that with you through. And with this kind of character, had done a bunch of stuff. He had been in Africa and was not a rookie. So that really gave me this history and made me go on this one specific survival story behind enemy lines. Therefore, you go on this emotional rollercoaster, a lot of time by yourself, and what it would be like out there.
GVN: Rod, where did the inspiration to tackle this story form both the writing and directing standpoint?
Rod Lurie: I got the screenplay from my writing partner, Marc Frydman, who had interviewed almost 50 years ago when he was a student in France, members of the Battle of the Bulge. This was a story he was told, and he said, “That’d make a great film.” He gave it to me several decades later, and I added a bunch of stuff to it because I wanted to make it a little bit more filmic. I have always loved those films from the ’60s and ’70s. You know, you are probably too young for this, but like, Where Eagles Dare, and The Guns of Navarone, and all those really great films. Because you know what? Come to think of it, all the wars since World War II, they’re a little ambiguous, and there is nuance as to who’s right, who’s wrong. There’s a good guy, who’s a bad guy, and there’s no ambiguity in World War II.
The Nazis there are the bad guys, and you go after the bad guys, and you kill the bad guys, and they can be entertaining. And so I think our movie is very, very entertaining, while still serving to honor the men and, in some cases, the women who fought in World War II. Yeah, it’s definitely a fascinating… It’s a fascinating journey, right? ‘Cause, you know, there is that, uh, emotional heartbeat of it, but then there’s the war aspect, and I think the balance of it’s relatively done great there.
GVN: Scott, you wear the producer hat on the film, talk to me about that and navigating the duality of starring in the film and starring in it.
Eastwood: I don’t know how much I really added, but I think Rod and I work well together. We collaborate in a way we understand each other. So we bounce ideas off each other.
Lurie: No, he produced. He’s being modest. Much more than with The Outpost, he was very creatively involved. And I would say he was a producer in the creative spirit of the job, where, you know, I turned to him a lot for his opinion and his advice, not just in shooting, but also in the editing, also in the music. A lot of the quality of the film, I think, is due to Scott, beyond just his performance.
Lucky Strike hits theaters nationwide on June 26, 2026.
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