We’ve just received an early glimpse of Guy Ritchie’s World War II spy-action movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which has reunited the ever-stylish filmmaker with leading man Henry Cavill.
The image in question of Churchill’s rogue operatives was taken by one Daniel Smith and posted on Cavill’s own Instagram page captioned with nothing more than the film title and the following social handles: @GuyRitchie (Guy Ritchie), @AlanRitchson (Alan Ritchson), @AlexPettyfer (Alex Pettyfer), @Hero_FT (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), @HenryGolding (Henry Golding).
The forthcoming production marks the second time Ritchie and Cavill have collaborated after The Man From U.N.C.L.E (yet another spy flick) in which the latter shared a screen alongside the now-disgraced Armie Hammer.
This time around, aside from the names listed above, the retired Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman will star alongside Eiza Gonzalez of Baby Driver, Ambulance, and The Three Body Problem fame as well as Cary Elwes, Babs Olusanmokun, Til Schweiger, Henry Zaga, and Mohammad Nour Hakmi.
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Based on the non-fiction book of the same name written by war correspondent and military historian Damien Lewis, as we’ve previously noted, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare follows a top-secret “butcher-and-bolt” black-ops unit Winston Churchill formed during World War II, tasked with stopping German forces by any means necessary.
This tight-knit group of the modern world’s earliest “deniable” military attachment earned a reputation for themselves by striking behind enemy lines and subverting the “gentlemanly rules of engagement,” hence the title (think Inglorious Basterds meets Kingsman). They would win important victories against the Nazis, “breaking all the accepted rules of warfare in the process” by using deception and even bow & arrow to dispatch enemies.
Due to the fact that members were recruited knowing they would likely be killed, Churchill’s war dogs were quite a colourful bunch, counting criminals, rogues, and survivalists amongst them. Led by Gus March-Phillips – “a wild British eccentric of high birth” – and Anders Lassen – “an aristocratic, handsome, bloodthirsty young Danish warrior” – the unit was described as a collection of renegades and sociopaths who were regularly jacked up on amphetamines.
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According to Deadline, Henry Cavill has been cast as the secret division’s leader – ostensibly an amalgamation of Gus March-Phillips and Anders Lassen – while Eiza Gonzalez will portray a military sniper with extraordinary spy craft abilities.
Here’s the official book synopsis for reference:
When France fell to the Nazis in 1940, Churchill declared that Britain would resist the advance of the German army–alone if necessary. Churchill commanded the Special Operations Executive to secretly develop a very special kind of military unit that would operate on their own initiative deep behind enemy lines. The units would be licensed to kill, fully deniable by the British government, and a ruthless force to meet the advancing Germans.
Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare was initially penned by The Fighter screenwriter Paul Tamsay and Eric Johnson, before undergoing a revision by Arash Amel (Grace of Monaco, The Titan, A Private War) and Guy Ritchie himself. The legendary Jerry Bruckheimer will serve as a producer with Chad Oman, longtime Ritchie collaborator Ivan Atkinson, and Paramount’s Vanessa Joyce.
Cameras officially began rolling on location in Turkey back in February with the production to eventually makes its way towards the country’s fifth most populated city: Antalya. Guy Ritchie’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare starring Henry Cavill currently has a projected release date window of 2024.
