13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (also known simply as 13 Hours) is a 2016 American biographical political-action and war thriller film directed and co-produced by Michael Bay and written by Chuck Hogan, based on Mitchell Zuckoff's 2014 book 13 Hours. It follows six members of a security team, who fight to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, after waves of terrorist attacks on September 11, 2012, as told by Zuckoff in his book. The film stars James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Max Martini, Toby Stephens, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa, Freddie Stroma, and Alexia Barlier. Filming began on April 27, 2015 in Malta. The film was released on January 15, 2016, by Paramount Pictures. Although it claims to be a true story, the historical accuracy of the film has been criticized.