Guy Ritchie, who made his name making British crime comedies like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, has been tapped to write and direct the World War II pic Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare for Paramount. Pirates of the Caribbean’s Jerry Bruckheimer is on board to produce alongside Chad Oman through his banner Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Based on the wordily titled nonfiction book Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops by Damien Lewis (not Damian Lewis, the actor from Homeland), Ritchie’s movie will tell the story of England’s first black ops team, which operated during the Second World War. Paramount won the rights to the book in a bidding war back in 2015. Ivan Atkinson is attached as an executive producer, while Paramount executive Vanessa Joyce will oversee production on the studio’s behalf.
Set in 1939, when England was being battered by Germany on battlefields across mainland Europe, Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare sees Winston Churchill sending the British armed forces’ first “deniable” squad of secret operatives behind enemy lines. They weren’t required to play by the gentlemanly rules of engagement and ended up mounting a lot of significant victories against the Nazis. The story is a lot like a true-to-life Inglourious Basterds.
This will be Ritchie’s first war movie, although the colorful characters, abundance of violence, and dark comedic sensibility suggested by the premise are right up his alley. Ritchie has been tackling a lot of new genres in recent years: his Sherlock Holmes movies are mysteries, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a spy actioner, and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword puts a fantasy spin on a historical myth.
The latest draft of the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare script was written by Arash Amel, best known for writing 2018’s A Private War, but Ritchie will be penning his own version. Ritchie has been a credited writer on all of his movies except the Sherlock Holmes duology. The story of England’s first black ops team will allow Ritchie to put his own personal stamp on the WWII film in the same way Christopher Nolan did with Dunkirk and Taika Waititi did with Jojo Rabbit.
Ritchie’s most recent directing credits include Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, which topped $1 billion at the worldwide box office, and The Gentlemen, his long-awaited return to the gangster genre starring Matthew McConaughey and Henry Golding. He’s currently attached to direct two thrillers starring Jason Statham – Wrath of Man and Five Eyes – before he can tackle Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
Source: Deadline