Is that Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell getting tackled by the "Jump to Conclusions" guy from "Office Space"?
Yes. Yes, it is.
And is that Jim O'Heir from "Parks and Recreation" licking a dude's nipple on a hospital gurney?
Uh, yeah.
And could that be an undead William Shatner asking to be kicked just a little harder?
Yep. That's exactly what that is.
It can only mean one thing: The boys from the Ranger Up and Article 15 online T-shirt shops are making good on their promise to create exactly the kind of post-apocalyptic zombie comedy war movie they'd want to see.
And they hope you do, too.
"If you like the kind of stuff we do at Article 15, you're going to love this movie," said former Army Ranger and Article 15 president Mat Best, who plays himself in the flick, as filming got underway in Los Angeles this week.
To be sure, this movie — with a script full of irreverent, dark, and decidedly anti-PC humor — won't be for everyone.
Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, one of the first "all-American badasses" to sign up for the film, has backed out of the project. He appeared prominently in the production's crowdfunding campaign that raised nearly $1 million to make the film. Like many in the ensemble cast, he was to have a small, but key, role.
Ranger Up founder Nick Palmisciano, who is starring in the movie, says Meyer decided to pass on the project about three weeks ago.
"I can't speak for him, but we have nothing but respect for him," Palmisciano said. "He gave us plenty of time to make adjustments to the script."
In an interview with the Daily Beast last year, Meyer said he was considering an eventual run for political office. When reached by phone, he said political ambitions weren't part of his decision to leave "Article 15" and declined to say more.
"Things happen," Best says said. "He was a man about it, had his reasons, and if that brings happiness in his life, then he should go for it."
And the show is certainly going on without him, with a long list of prominent veterans and actors alike.
Among them are Medal of Honor recipients Leroy Petry and Clint Romesha, plus kickass Special Forces operator and MMA fighter Tim Kennedy.
Dale Dye — a Marine Corps Vietnam combat veteran-turned-actor and military adviser on productions ranging from "Platoon" and "Saving Private Ryan" to "Starship Troopers" — plays the president of the United States.
In the very first scene, Best appears opposite William Shatner.
"How crazy was that," Best said after the last take for the scene.
Best called Shatner a "living legend — and I'm filming my first scene in my first movie with him. That's pretty rad. Life is about experiences, and this is a good one."
