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Trailer: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, From Michael Bay

Blockbuster king Michael Bay has revealed he had to “beg” Paramount Pictures for extra funds when his latest film, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi, went over budget.

Here is the trailer for 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi:

The movie centers on the September 2012 attack on an American diplomatic compound in the Libyan city of Benghazi.

Bay's pictures have grossed more than $5 billion worldwide, an astonishing figure for a filmmaker who has been maligned within critical circles because of his over-reliance on camera tricks and CGI. 

Considering the modest scale and subject matter of 13 Hours, Bay is clearly trying to move away from the big budget popcorn fodder which has defined his career.

However, the Pain & Gain helmer confirmed that the studio were reluctant to provide him with extra funds for the project.

While attending the Deauville Film Festival, he said (via The Hollywood Reporter): “I’m someone who has made Paramount Pictures billions of dollars.

“I had to beg for $10 million more, thoroughly beg. As they were putting my name on a street sign at Paramount Studios - I was in the executive’s office, and they were hanging my name, I guess because I’ve made them so much money - I had to beg."

Of course, one reason behind the studio's lack of support could be because the attack in Benghazi is a political hot potato.

The script is based on journalist Mitchell Zuckhoff’s book 13 Hours: A Firsthand Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi.

The movie centres on a highly trained security team's attempt to rescue American ambassador Christopher Stephens.

And while the political right in America insist that the team were given a controversial 'stand down' order, Bay confirmed that 13 Hours would show both sides of that debate.

Asked if the movie has a political agenda, he said: “No. No, there is no political agenda.”

However, the movie's trailer does suggest that it is more aligned with the Republican Party's point of view which could used to their advantage considering 13 Hours will be released in an election year.

Politics aside, what the preview also shows is that 13 Hours is more The Expendables than Zero Dark Thirty. 

Dramatizing real events is admittedly hard to pull off, but Bay still seems too reliant on macho dialogue and mind numbing set pieces. 

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, which dramatized the events surrounding the killing of Osama Bin Laden, is the benchmark for this type of picture and was rightly critically acclaimed. But some critics also lambasted the film's portrayal of harsh interrogations. 

Bay has assembled an uncharacteristically non A-list cast, with the only name star being John Krasinski (The Office).

The rest of the cast includes Pablo Schreiber, Toby Stephens, David Giuntoli, James Badge Dale, Max Martini and David Costabile. 

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi hits U.S. screens on January 15, 2016.