Oliver Stone Ends 10-Year Hiatus With White Lies, Starring Josh Hartnett

Well, here’s a blast from the past: Oliver Stone, who’s been basically MIA from the narrative movie game for almost ten years, is officially back behind the camera. He’s started shooting a new film called 'White Lies'—and, yes, Josh Hartnett is front and center.

Stone’s Big Return: What Took So Long?

If you’ve been wondering where Stone’s been since 'Snowden' (which dropped all the way back in 2016), you’re not alone. Aside from some documentaries like 'JFK Revisited,' he’s been mostly quiet on the feature film front. Apparently 'White Lies' has been in the works for years—at one point, Benicio del Toro was even lined up to star. But, as Hollywood projects tend to do, it got stuck in development limbo. Now, though, production is finally rolling, and Stone himself wrote the script.

So, What’s 'White Lies' About?

The film is described as an intimate drama that digs into the messy realities of family, divorce, and that age-old struggle to not repeat your parents’ mistakes—except our main guy, Jack Freeman (played by Hartnett), isn’t exactly succeeding at that. He’s stuck in a lackluster marriage, pulling the same moves his own parents did, and tries to break out of it by chasing after something (or someone) new. Spoiler: It just lands him in deeper trouble.

The story spans three generations, which is a classic Stone move—going for the big, sweeping family saga, but keeping it centered on very personal pain and (maybe) transformation. It’s got international flavor too, with filming locations set in Rome, Bangkok, and Sofia. There’s more casting news expected soon, but nothing solid yet.

Quotable Moments

Here’s Stone on stepping back into the narrative feature game after a decade away:

'After nearly 10 years away from features, I feel really like I’m starting again, as when I made Platoon and Salvador in 1986. White Lies will find its natural home, because it’s an eternal story of love.'

Hartnett sounds pretty hyped to work with Stone, too:

'Oliver explores a universe in White Lies that feels personal and entirely new material from a filmmaker I have long admired and am excited to work with.'

And producer Fernando Sulichin is laying it on thick:

'We feel incredibly blessed that Oliver Stone, who has such an extraordinary and distinctive voice, is back writing and directing a narrative feature film for the first time since Snowden. Stone has written or directed some of the most influential films of the last decades and with White Lies he returns to original and timeless storytelling that audiences love from him. Josh Hartnett is an actor of remarkable depth and instinct, and exactly who this story calls for.'

Quick Recap: The Key Details

• Oliver Stone is directing 'White Lies,' his first narrative movie since 2016’s 'Snowden.'
• Josh Hartnett stars as Jack Freeman, a divorced dad stuck in a family drama spiral.
• The plot stretches across three generations and explores the ups and downs of family, regret, and second chances—set against a backdrop of places like Rome, Bangkok, and Sofia.
• Stone wrote the script himself, after years tinkering with the project and some major cast changes.
• More casting news is supposedly on the horizon.

If you’re a Stone completist or just curious how Hartnett is going to tackle this kind of role, it’s probably worth keeping 'White Lies' on your radar. One thing’s for sure: if Stone says it feels like starting over, brace yourself for something different—even for a guy who’s made films about everything from presidents to pariahs.