Warlordsa sequel to the 2005 crime thriller directed by Andrew Nicol Warlordhas been optioned by Vertical for the United States with a theatrical release planned for 2027.
Nicol wrote and directed the film, which will see Nicolas Cage return to his role as arms dealer Yuri Orlov. In the follow-up, Orlov discovers that he has a son, Anton (Bill Skarsgård), who is building a mercenary army to rival his father’s, setting up a father-son rivalry, all against the backdrop of America’s wars in the Middle East.
Vendôme Pictures produced and financed the film, which also stars Laura Harrier, Sylvia Hawkes, and Greg Tarzan Davis. The film recently finished production in Morocco.
Vertical is set to show the footage at CinemaCon to exhibitors.
It was produced by Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi, who produced the original film Warlords For fandom pictures. Nicol also produced with Cage for Saturn Films. Season 5’s Skarsgård, Alice Dawson, Graham Taylor and Christopher Slager of Vertical’s Rich Goldberg and Peter Garwe served as executive producers.
“As a storyteller, I always felt there was a lot to explore with Nicolas Cage’s ‘Merchant of Death’ and the charming demon, Yuri Orlov. This final chapter gave me the opportunity to introduce his ultimate rival: his illegitimate son, Anton – illegitimate in every sense of the word – played by the equally sinister Bill Skarsgård. Confronting the largely unseen world of mercenaries, the film quickly reveals that Anton is not on the path to righting his situation. ‘Father’s mistakes,’ said Nicole. He’s trying to get over it.”
Vendôme Pictures and CAA Media Finance negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers. International sales are managed by FilmNation Entertainment.
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