Is Taylor Sheridan's 'Special Ops: Lioness' based on a true story? Inside the real-life CIA program that inspired Nicole Kidman-starrer
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Yellowstone' co-creator Taylor Sheridan is set to bring a new story to life with the upcoming Paramount+ series 'Specials Ops: Lioness' starring prominent stars like Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman, among others. The show is believed to be based on the real-life CIA program known as 'Task Force Lioness' aka the 'Lioness Engagement Team', created by the Marine Corps during the early 2000s. This was during the Iraq and Afghanistan war operations and comprised of female marines.
Sheridan's show will follow a young marine who is recruited by the CIA and tasked with befriending the daughter of a billionaire who has ties to terrorist groups in order to help the agency to bring down the organization. The series will be another addition to the "Sheridan-verse" that consists of successful projects like 'Tulsa King,' 'Mayor of Kingstown,' the 'Yellowstone' spin-offs '1883' and '1923' as well as the upcoming shows 'Land Man' and 'Lawman: Bass Reeves.' It is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios for Paramount+ and will have eight episodes.
Inside the real-life Lioness program
During the the Iraq and Afghanistan operations in the early 2000s, insurgents allegedly began exploiting the cultural sensitivity that prevented male US troops from searching local women. They began using females to smuggle weapons and contraband and also used female suicide bombers. In order to counter the challenge, the marine corps established the Lioness Program with female marines and deployed them to prevent insurgents from using women to achieve their goals.
Team Lioness reportedly became the forerunner of the now-official FETs or Female Engagement Teams. These female marines were attached to combat units to search women and children who could be used for smuggling missions by male handlers. These US female marines, known as "lionesses," also gathered intelligence and distributed information to local women while training them to conduct proper searches on other women.
Staff Sgt James Baker, the Combat Center Provost Marshal’s Office operations chief said that women involved in the Lioness Program successfully managed to maintain a good relationship with locals while allowing marines to safely complete their tasks during deployment, as per the official website of the US Marines. The program also allowed women to have more equality on the frontlines.
"Twenty years ago, seeing a female [Marine] at a checkpoint with a bunch of 03s [infantrymen] would’ve been really uncommon. Now, it’s almost become a norm. It really isn’t a big deal to see women on the frontlines or at these checkpoints," said Baker. "I don’t think there was a marine out there who didn’t understand the importance of having females there. No one I know ever questioned their abilities or their knowledge. We didn’t look at them as females serving at a checkpoint, we just saw another marine," he added.
Reports suggest that Shannon Morgan, Rebecca Martinez (Nava), Jessie Miller, Anastasia Breslow, Ranie Ruthig, Katherine Pendry Guttormsen, Patricia Moreno, Brandi Burns, Cynthia Espinoza, Paula LeBove, Michelle Perry, Susan Paterson, Jennifer Acey, Kayla Downey, Kyla Rasmussen, Jessica Samuels, Laura Shiplet, Margaret Smerdon, and Kimberly White were the original Team Lioness members between 2003 and 2004.
What is the plot of Taylor Sheridan's 'Special Ops: Lioness?'
Sheridan's 'Special Ops: Lioness' will revolve around a female marine and a group of women operatives who will work towards bringing down a terrorist group. The official synopsis of the show provided by Paramount+ reads, "Lioness is based on a real-life CIA program and follows Cruz Manuelos, a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within."
However, it is likely that Sheridan might take some creative liberty while showing his onscreen "lionesses." As per the trailer, Sheridan's lionesses would do more than engaging with the local female population. Instead, they'd be portrayed as undercover female operatives, trained to be deployed to difficult spots around the world. While the real-life lionesses also went beyond engaging females and started taking part in humanitarian efforts and medical aid, the onscreen lionesses will also take on the role of spies and assassins working with the CIA to thwart terrorists.
Who is in the cast of 'Special Ops: Lioness?'
'Special Ops: Lioness' stars 'Locke & Key' actress Laysla De Oliveira as young marine Cruz Manuelos, 'Avatar' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy' star Zoe Saldana as Manuelos' mentor Joe and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman as CIA supervisor Kaitlyn Meade. The three women are joined by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman as US Secretary of State Edwin Mullins, 'House of Cards' and 'Jack Ryan' star Michael Kelly as CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield, '1833' fame Stephanie Nur as Aaliyah Amrohi, daughter of billionnaire Amrohi, played by Bassem Youssef.
Other actors reported to be in the cast include, Dave Annable, Jill Wagner, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hebert, Hannah Love Lanier, Martin Donovan, Jonah Wharton and Sam Asghari, among others. 'Special Ops: Lioness' is scheduled to premiere in Paramount+ on July 23, 2023.
