Hello, everyone. I know this is not usually the type of content to see here, it's definitely not the type of what I usually post here but I wasn't sure where else to post this 4-part series I have been working on. If admins don't approve of this series, please let me know and I will happily remove it or if I am not around. I am fine with it being muted.

War and Hollywood have always had a complicated relationship. On the surface, war films are meant to tell stories—sometimes heroic, sometimes tragic. But when it comes to the Iraq War, Hollywood was more than just a storyteller. It was a key player in shaping public opinion, often reinforcing the idea that the war was justified while downplaying its atrocities.

From scripted propaganda to government-approved storytelling, Hollywood played a major role in selling the Iraq War to audiences worldwide. And when some dared to question the war? Well, they were quickly pushed aside.

Hollywood’s Role as America’s War PR Team

In 2003, as the U.S. and Britain prepared to invade Iraq, government officials needed public support. The war was already facing criticism, and the justifications—like Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction—were starting to fall apart.

Enter Hollywood.

This wasn’t just about war movies. It was about controlling the narrative in mainstream entertainment. Even before the Iraq invasion, the Bush administration had already made moves to secure Hollywood’s cooperation.

In 2001—just two months after 9/11—President George W. Bush held a private meeting with top Hollywood executives. The purpose? To discuss how films and television could support America’s new global “War on Terror.”

The government didn’t need to “force” Hollywood to comply—because the Pentagon had already built a system to ensure that any movie wanting access to military equipment, bases, or real soldiers had to submit its script for government approval. If the film showed the U.S. military in a positive light, it got full support. If it raised uncomfortable questions? Good luck getting funding.

Jon Stewart Calls Out Hollywood’s Iraq War Obsession

Despite growing opposition to the war, Hollywood kept making pro-war films—and not everyone was happy about it.

In 2008, comedian Jon Stewart hosted the Academy Awards, and during his opening monologue, he took a jab at Hollywood’s obsession with Iraq War movies.

“The movies about the Iraq War aren’t doing well,” Stewart joked, referring to the string of box office failures. Then, mocking Republican senator John McCain’s claim that U.S. troops could stay in Iraq for 100 years, Stewart added: “If we just keep making these movies for 100 years, we might finally change public opinion!”

The audience laughed, but the joke hit a nerve. Hollywood was desperate to make Iraq War films successful, but audiences weren’t buying them. Despite millions spent on production and marketing, films that criticized the war—like In the Valley of Elah (2007) and Redacted (2007)—flopped hard. Meanwhile, movies that glorified American soldiers—like American Sniper (2014)—raked in hundreds of millions.

It was clear: Hollywood was failing to sell the war to audiences the way it had hoped.

The Iraq War at the Box Office

Between 2003 and 2010, Hollywood released over 36 films directly about the Iraq War. These weren’t just documentaries or war dramas—they were carefully crafted narratives designed to shape how people saw the war.

• The Hurt Locker (2008) followed a bomb disposal unit in Iraq and won multiple Oscars, reinforcing the image of American soldiers as noble heroes.
• American Sniper (2014) glorified Chris Kyle, a sniper who killed over 200 Iraqis, and made $547 million worldwide—Hollywood’s most successful Iraq War film.
• Films like Green Zone (2010), which questioned the war and the WMD lies, struggled at the box office despite featuring big stars like Matt Damon.
  Even non-war movies slipped in pro-war messages.

Take The Mummy (2017), starring Tom Cruise. In one scene, Cruise’s character is running through Iraq while being chased by “terrorists.” There’s no backstory, no context—just another visual reinforcing the stereotype that Iraq is full of dangerous enemies.

The message was clear: America’s presence in Iraq was necessary and heroic.

Hollywood’s Silence on War Crimes

While Hollywood was busy glorifying American soldiers, it conveniently ignored the darker side of the war—the war crimes, the civilian casualties, and the scandals that should have changed everything.

The most infamous example? The Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

In 2004, leaked photos from Abu Ghraib prison revealed American soldiers torturing Iraqi detainees. The images were horrific—prisoners stripped naked, stacked in human pyramids, electrocuted, attacked by dogs, and forced into humiliating poses while U.S. soldiers laughed and took pictures.

It was one of the biggest PR disasters for the U.S. military, and yet Hollywood largely ignored it.

Only a few films, like Redacted (2007), dared to address these war crimes—but they were quickly buried by mainstream media. The dominant Hollywood narrative remained the same:

• American soldiers were brave and noble.
• Iraqis were either terrorists or helpless victims.
• The Iraq War was a necessary evil.
  Even when the truth was out in the open, Hollywood chose to look away.

The Bottom Line

The Iraq War wasn’t just fought on the battlefield—it was fought on television screens, in news reports, and in movie theaters.

Hollywood played a crucial role in shaping how people saw the war, making sure it seemed justified, necessary, and even noble. Through carefully crafted storytelling, American soldiers weren’t seen as occupiers, but as saviors bringing democracy to Iraq.

Yet, as time passed, the cracks in this narrative began to show. More people started questioning the official story, and with the rise of independent media and social platforms, images and videos from Iraq that Hollywood refused to show became impossible to ignore.

Even in Hollywood itself, a shift was happening. The audience wasn’t buying the pro-war narrative anymore—even when big studios poured money into it.

By the time American Sniper was released in 2014, public opinion on the Iraq War had already changed. Instead of cheering for the “heroes,” more people were asking questions.

In Part 2, we’ll dive into how the media—both mainstream and independent—handled the Iraq War, and how scandals like Abu Ghraib changed public perception forever.