Ray Nicholson went back to work on The Mosquito Bowl the day after knee surgery. He was still limping as the cameras rolled on the World War II drama.
He described the on-set accident to People at the movie’s AFI FEST world premiere on October 22, held at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Nicholson, 34, plays Tony Butkovich, a college football star who served in the Marines during World War II.
Directed by Peter Berg, the film adapts Buzz Bissinger’s nonfiction book The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II. Berg wrote the screenplay with Mark L. Smith.
Nicholson Felt Numbness Before Discovering the Wound
Ray Nicholson Had Knee Surgery After an Injury on Set and Returned to Filming the Next Day: ‘There Was a Hole’ (Exclusive) https://t.co/wEROh4OSNx
People (@people) October 23, 2026
Nicholson was running alongside costar Tom Francis through a rock quarry when he fell. He was wearing knee pads, and the first sensation he noticed was numbness. He did not immediately realize the extent of the injury.
Later, he pulled up his pant leg. “I saw that there was a hole, like a crater,” he told People.
Surgeons cleaned out his knee the following day. The operation fell on the date originally scheduled for a scene he considered among the movie’s most important, making him especially eager to resume work.
“We’re actors. It’s not war,” Nicholson said, explaining his determination to carry on. He felt the cast’s responsibility was to do their jobs without complaining and represent the Marines well.
The Cast Learned 1940s Football With Help From Christian McCaffrey
The actors’ football preparation involved recreating a version of the sport that looked different from today’s game. Berg told Netflix’s Tudum that the cast studied the period’s plays, style and equipment to make their performances convincing.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was among the professional players brought in to help. Nicholson joked to People about the difference between his own athletic abilities and those of the NFL star.
Berg’s research also took him to Parris Island, the Marine Corps recruit training base in South Carolina. He spent his days observing recruits, then returned to a nearby motel to read Bissinger’s book and work on the screenplay.
The director wanted the combat scenes to show the human cost of war. He described the violence as a way to make viewers consider what service members are asked to endure when political leaders send them into battle.
The Cast Brought the Film to Marines at Camp Pendleton
Before the Los Angeles premiere, Nicholson, Francis, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Galitzine and Berg visited Camp Pendleton on October 20. The trip included a screening at the California base and a chance to meet Marines.
According to a separate People report, the group also observed Assault Amphibious Vehicle training. Berg described showing the movie to military audiences as an honor. He also hoped it would help a wider audience understand the sacrifices associated with service.
A Christmas Eve Football Game Connects the Players’ Stories
The game at the center of the film took place on Christmas Eve 1944, when Marines from the 4th and 29th Regiments faced each other on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The contest gave former college players an opportunity to return to football before the Okinawa campaign.
Bissinger discovered a personal connection while researching the story. His father had served with the 4th Regiment and rarely discussed his experiences at Okinawa. The author told Netflix that learning about that connection deepened his investment in the project.
Personal correspondence helped him reconstruct the players’ lives. Letters from Wisconsin All-American Dave Schreiner and his fiancée, Odette Hendrickson, revealed a young man who was humble, self-critical and closely connected to the people he had left behind.
Francis plays Schreiner, while Galitzine portrays John McLaughry and Skarsgård plays Bob Bauman. Filming took place in Queensland and northern New South Wales, Australia.
Netflix has scheduled The Mosquito Bowl for select U.S. theaters on October 30, followed by its streaming debut on November 25, 2026.