2024 is shaping up to be a big year for Henry Cavill, who starred in Matthew Vaughn’s (albeit, ill-fated) Argylle and will shoot his highly-anticipated Highlander reboot in July. Until then, however, the actor is setting his sights on the high seas in The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
Sometimes, true stories are simply too outlandish to believe. Such is the case with director Guy Ritchie’s upcoming spy-comedy based on Damien Lewis’ 2014 book, Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII. That title doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, now does it?
Starring Henry Cavill as Major Gus March-Phillipps, the film sees Cavill’s character (and his very curly mustache) leading a covert group of soldiers as they fight against Nazis during World War II, featuring all the witty humor, explosions, and high-stakes action sequences we’ve come to expect from a Guy Ritchie production. Alan Ritchson, Eiza González, Henry Golding, and Alex Pettyfer also star in the film.
The movie tackles the “untold” true story of Operation Postmaster, a mission executed by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) under the command of Winston Churchill. The crew was ultimately successful in stealing Italian and German boats off the coast of West Africa, thus cementing the SOE’s reputation as a formidable espionage organization.
From the looks of it, The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare seems to be a completely original take on your typical World War II movie which, if executed well, could bring a much-needed revival to the genre. Still, box office analysts don’t exactly have high hopes for the film’s performance, with experts predicting an opening weekend range of $6 million to $10 million, given it will be competing against A24’s Civil War.
Although big names like Ritchie, Cavill, and Ritchson (Reacher fans are legion) might help usher moviegoers through the doors, April has been a loaded month for blockbusters. This could spell trouble as The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare gears up for its premiere.
When does The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare come out?
Fans can look forward to seeing Guy Ritchie’s World War II action flick soon, as The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare is scheduled to premiere in the U.S. on April 19, 2024. Although The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Amazon Prime Video secured distribution rights in Europe, Central and South America, Europe, and India last year, the movie has yet to receive a streaming release date.
It’ll be interesting to see how much of the true story Guy Ritchie chose to adapt to the big screen, and if he may or may not have taken a few creative liberties along the way. Regardless, one thing’s for sure: Henry Cavill is certainly adding fuel to all those James Bond casting rumors.
(featured image: Lionsgate)
