"The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" Gets 2024 Release Window

Lionsgate has snapped up the domestic distribution rights to British actor Henry Cavill's World War II action spy movie "The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare".

The lucrative deal pegged in the eight-figures, Prime Video has pre-bought a raft of international rights on the movie and will distribute across Europe, Latin America, ANZ, Canada, South Africa, India, and pan-Asian PayTV.

The cast also includes Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Henrique Zaga, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Cary Elwes, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Babs Olusanmokun, and Til Schweiger.

Guy Ritchie, director of the live-action Aladdin and the Sherlock Holmes films, will helm the movie.

The movie, inspired by real events, will depict UK PM Winston Churchill’s and James Bond scribe Ian Fleming’s secret WWII combat organization. The clandestine squad’s unconventional and entirely ‘ungentlemanly’ fighting techniques against the Nazis helped change the course of the war as well as gave birth to the modern Black Ops unit.

The project was initially in development at Paramount through Jerry Bruckheimer’s first look deal, but the studio will not be distributing the movie.

Cavill will play the leader of the secret combat organization while González is set to play a military sniper with extraordinary spy-craft abilities.

The movie is scripted by Ritchie and Arash Amel and is based on war correspondent and military historian Damien Lewis’ popular book of the same name.

Bruckheimer will produce alongside Chad Oman for Bruckheimer Films as well as Ritchie’s producing partner Ivan Atkinson, and Black Bear International’s John Friedberg.

Executive producers include Scott Lastaiti, Olga Filipuk, Lewis, and Tamasy and Johnson. Black Bear International arranged the financing for the film and is handling worldwide sales, which will continue at the EFM.

Eda Kowan, John Biondo, and Christopher Davis oversaw the acquisition and negotiation on behalf of Lionsgate. Jill Silfen led the deal for Black Bear International, and Sam Wollman and Jay Patel oversaw the deal for Prime Video.

Ritchie and Cavill previously worked on the 2015 spy movie "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.".

Aladdin helmer has been putting "Ministry" together over the past months while he is in the middle of post on his other war movie "The Covenant".

Principal photography kicked off on Monday in Turkey with an expected theatrical release window in 2024.