Filming is underway in Turkey on Guy Ritchie‘s next action film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. A new WWII actioner that focuses on the first British commando unit during the war that was founded by Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming (future author of the James Bond novels) that developed a modern type of warfare that used smaller groups of highly trained soldiers meant to cause larger body counts and damage to the enemy behind the lines using spy-craft methods alongside brutal violence.
We’ve been able to confirm that Ritchie has tapped production designer Martyn John is as expected is indeed working on the new film. His previous credits include Wrath of Man, Operation Fortune, the upcoming military thriller The Covenant, and even the television spinoff of The Gentlemen at Netflix. He joins a crew that already consists of cinematographer Ed Wild (The Covenant) and costume designer LouLou Bontemps (The Covenant).
John posted a handful of images on his Instagram account (where he confirmed his involvement) and showcases some of of the sets/props from the WWII film. The pic that has Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun: Maverick) producing already has an impressive cast that consists of Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Henrique Zaga, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Cary Elwes, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Babs Olusanmokun, and Til Schweiger.
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 of 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. The very first of these “butcher-and-bolt” units–the innocuously named Maid Honour Force–was led by Gus March-Phillipps, a wild British eccentric of high birth, and an aristocratic, handsome, and bloodthirsty young Danish warrior, Anders Lassen. Amped up on amphetamines, these assorted renegades and sociopaths undertook the very first of Churchill’s special operations–a top-secret, high-stakes mission to seize Nazi shipping in the far-distant port of Fernando Po, in West Africa.
Lionsgate is expected to distribute the film in theaters domestically sometime next year with Amazon Prime Video getting a heap of international rights to the film. There have been some talk that Ritchie is expecting Ministry to the be the start of a potential franchise.
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