Guy Ritchie and Henry Cavill are collaborating again for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Meanwhile, the first official trailer showed viewers an entirely new side of the actor.
Cavill and Ritchie previously collaborated on The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and it can’t be denied they work well together as a team. Cavill is a perfect fit for the gentlemanly spies, agents, and criminals that typically grace Ritchie’s high-tension and thrilling crime comedies. However, Ritchie’s latest movie departs from the well-tailored and suave protagonists his films usually follow in favor of a rogue team in one of the first modern black ops.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is an adaptation of Damien Lewis’s book The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops. It will tell the true but oft-forgotten story of how, during World War II, Winston Churchill assembled a secret military unit, allowing them to act of their own accord and use whatever means necessary to fight against the Germans. The men who served on this first-of-its-kind black ops came to be hailed as war heroes who turned the tide of the conflict. Now, their story is coming to the big screen.
Lionsgate drops the first trailer for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is coming to theaters on April 19, 2024. Lionsgate dropped the film’s first official trailer on January 30.
The trailer sees Cavill as a scruffy and somewhat unhinged Gus March-Phillips, being recruited for a special World War II mission as the British government decides to follow Germany’s lead in not playing by the rules. Though March-Phillips remarks that he’s not a very likable man among the British administration, it turns out that’s precisely why he’s being recruited. Soon, March-Phillips assembles a whole team of “bad” people who are ready to use their talents and unsavory qualities to engage in some notably “ungentlemanly” warfare against the Nazis.
It’s quite interesting to see Cavill’s take on the role of March-Phillips. While he’s known for playing distinguished and heroic figures, like Superman and Napoleon Soto, he’s practically unrecognizable in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare as he laughs manically and sticks his tongue out while firing machine guns. As March-Phillips, he is the leader of the black ops unit. So far, only Cavill’s role has been disclosed. However, the film has stacked up quite the star-studded cast. Reacher‘s Alan Ritchson will portray a member of the March-Phillps team, as will Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Eiza González.
The Princess Bride‘s Cary Elwes has also signed on to star in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. He can be seen recruiting March-Phillips in the opening scene of the trailer. Crazy Rich Asians‘ Henry Golding and I Am Number Four‘s Alex Pettyfer will also appear. Rounding out the cast are Freddie Fox, Babs Olusanmokun, Til Schweiger, Henrique Zaga, Victor Oshin, and Alessandro Babalola.
What is The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare about?
The official synopsis for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare reads:
Based upon recently declassified files of the British War Department and inspired by true events, THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE is an action-comedy that tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming. The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly “ungentlemanly” fighting techniques. Ultimately their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British SAS and modern Black Ops warfare.
Some creative liberties are expected in the movie, though the original story in itself is already quite cinematic. It’s unclear how exaggerated March-Phillips and his crew are in the film, but the Special Operations Executive didn’t care much about class or status. It ignored any social conventions of the time, recruiting anyone who could be of use, whether they were eccentric, ill-behaved, or even convicted criminals. Meanwhile, the team’s warfare tactics were just as unconventional as its members, as they saw no room for gentlemanliness or societal expectations when it came to the urgency of war.
The wild, true story is the perfect premise for one of Ritchie’s action comedies, boding well for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
(featured image: Lionsgate)
