FilmmakerSimon Westhas his next directorial project lined up, and it’s shaping up to be an interesting, based-on-a-true-story war film. West is perhaps best known for his earlier directing credits, with the two most notable being the 1997 Nicolas Cage action filmCon Airand 2001’sLara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie. The director frequently collaborates with Cage, who would also star in the filmmaker’s 2012 action thriller,Stolen. After a busy couple of years, the director now has his sights set on a true story that sounds stranger than fiction.
An exclusive report from Deadline revealed that West would be directinga World War II espionage thriller. The trade outlet describes the movie as the true story of British Intelligence Officers who use unconventional means of espionage and false information to gain an upper hand in the war. The group of spies' “unprecedented strategic operations” end up fooling Nazi leadership, as several deceitful tactics are used in an effort to win the war. As it turns out, one real-life spy involved in these operations would also serve as the basis for one iconic fictional spy.
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Deadline mentions that a real-life spy and historical figure, Yugoslavian playboy Dusko Popov, could also be featured in the film, as the suave double agent would serve as the foundation for Ian Fleming to create James Bond and the massive 007 franchise.Lear Rexproducer Simon Afram has also been attached to the project as a producer, though no cast for the movie has been announced yet.
Simon West’s Upcoming War Film Sounds Like a Departure From His Previous Work
Deadline also reports that production of the film is expected to begin in London this summer, though the duration of the shoot is not mentioned in the report. Moreover, while Simon West’s filmography hasn’t exactly been the most grounded or realistic depiction of action, it seems like the director could be taking this film in a different direction from his previous work. Joshua Levine, a historical consultant on Steve McQueen’sBlitzandChristopher Nolan’sDunkirk, will provide his consultation services for West on this WWII movie.
The film’s premise also sounds eerily similar to Guy Ritchie’s 2024 war filmThe Ministry of Ungentlemenly Warfare, which starredHenry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, and Eiza Gonzalez, among others. A story about a ragtag group of soldiers using unorthodox methods and defying authority for the greater good and their own selfish reasons is a tried and true formula, and one that could work out well for West’s film despite the glaring similarities in the synopsis. It could also indicate that the film is lighter in tone than what’s been said in the report.
It will be interesting to see what direction West takes the film, and if any of his signature outlandish tonal shifts make their way into the final product. The details of the movie released so far seem to indicate that this is a much more historically driven piece than what he’s done before. At the very least, it sounds more serious than his previous 2024 English-releaseOld Guystarring Christoph Waltz and his upcoming June 2025 filmBride Hard.
Source:Deadline
