War Stories

War Stories is a feature-length pilot for a proposed NBC series set in a war-torn Middle Eastern country clearly depicted as Uzbekistan, though never explicitly named. The film follows Ben Dansmore (Jeff Goldblum), a cynical and hardened American war correspondent who resists being assigned a new photographer and partner, especially soon after his previous one—also his best friend—was killed in an explosion while covering a dangerous story. Ben, who believes, "There's no such thing as truth; that's why they call them stories," attempts to instill his jaded worldview in Nora Stone (Lake Bell), an idealistic new journalist. Nora, however, is motivated by the death of her sister in the September 11 terrorist attacks and refuses to adopt Ben's cold, detached perspective. It is only after experiencing a series of life-threatening situations, including evading bullets and fanatical rebels, that Ben and Nora begin to find the mutual understanding needed for their future collaboration.