Netflix has greenlit a major action film based on the daring rescue of an American prisoner during the 1989 United States invasion of Panama. Director Ric Roman Waugh signed an agreement to helm the project titled Six Minutes to Freedom. The movie adapts a book of the same name written by the rescued man himself.
Waugh is known for directing Hollywood hits like Angel Has Fallen, Greenland and Kandahar. He has worked extensively with stars such as Gerard Butler and Jason Statham. The film will chronicle the story of Kurt Muse, an American citizen who grew up in Panama. Military authorities imprisoned him during the Manuel Antonio Noriega regime for operating a clandestine radio network.
Details of the Clandestine Radio Network
Muse helped broadcast messages opposing the military dictatorship. He worked alongside seven Panamanian collaborators including Alberto Michineau, Stavros Costarangos, José Morales and Tito Mouynes. The group also included Alfredo Fonseca Mora and Aquilino Saint Malo. Their underground station was called La Voz de la Libertad, or The Voice of Freedom.
Authorities arrested Muse and held him at the Cárcel Modelo prison in El Chorrillo. Noriega used Muse as a bargaining chip. The dictator threatened to execute the prisoner if American forces invaded Panama. These threats forced the U.S. military to design a specialized rescue mission.
Noriega warned American officials that Muse would be executed if the invasion began. That threat created an urgent need for a precise military operation. [Translated from Spanish]
The Rescue Operation and Its Aftermath
U.S. special forces launched Operation Acid Gambit minutes before the full invasion started. They extracted Muse from the prison in a high-risk raid. The operation succeeded despite intense resistance from Panamanian forces loyal to Noriega.
After Muse’s arrest, his collaborators and their families fled Panama. They feared detention and prosecution by the military regime. The network’s members scattered across multiple countries to escape Noriega’s reach.
Muse later co-wrote the book Six Minutes to Freedom with John Gilstrap. The book details his capture, imprisonment and dramatic rescue. La Prensa produced a documentary in 2025 called La Señal de la Libertad that also explored these events.
Production Team and Timeline
Jared Rosenberg will write the screenplay for the Netflix production. Rosenberg previously wrote the 2025 hit Flight Risk, directed by Mel Gibson and starring Mark Wahlberg. RDV Films will handle production duties for the streaming giant.
Netflix has not announced a start date for filming. The casting process has not begun either. Industry insiders expect announcements in the coming months as the project moves forward.
The film arrives at a moment of renewed interest in Panama’s complicated history with the United States. The invasion toppled Noriega’s dictatorship but also caused significant destruction in working-class neighborhoods like El Chorrillo. Thousands of Panamanians died during the military operation.
Waugh’s previous work with Gerard Butler suggests the actor could appear in the project. Butler starred in Angel Has Fallen and Greenland, both directed by Waugh. No casting decisions have been confirmed yet by Netflix or the production team.
The story of Kurt Muse represents a small but dramatic chapter within the larger invasion narrative. His rescue became a symbol of American military precision and determination. For Panama, the events remain a source of complex emotions and historical debate.