Netflix to release Brad Pitt war movie

 Brad Pitt's next movie "War Machine" will be released exclusively on Netflix and in select theaters next year, the top streaming service announced Monday, AFP reports.

The deal is the latest by Netflix to bring original big-screen productions directly to the online service rather than launching them only with traditional theatrical releases.

"We are so excited to be a part of the inspiring commitment by Netflix to produce cutting-edge content and to deliver it to a global audience" said the Hollywood A-lister.

The movie, described as a provocative satirical comedy, tells the story of a "rock star" general whose lethal reputation and faultless track record catapults him to command the US war in Afghanistan.

"I'm humbled to be making a big, bold movie about the whole sprawling, complex, cumbersome and crazy machinery of modern war and the many lives it touches," said director and writer David Michod.

The film, which begins shooting in August, is based on the bestseller "The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan" by Michael Hastings.

Hastings was the Rolling Stone journalist who who triggered the 2010 downfall of US Afghanistan commander General Stanley McChrystal, and who died in a car crash in June 2013.

Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos added: "Brad and David are a perfect team to make this timely, compelling and entertaining film."

"'War Machine' is a rip-roaring, behind-the-facade tale of modern war decision-makers, from the corridors of power to the distant regions of America's ambitions," he added.