And it’s got franchise potential

Legend says we can’t go a year without a Second World War film or something awful will happen to us. Luckily, Guy Ritchie and Henry Cavill are on the case.

Ritchie is helming The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, mining another true story from the strategy rooms of WWII.

Now, because this is a Guy Ritchie film, there are already a gaggle of huge names attached to the project alongside Henry Cavill – including the largest man on the small screen, Reacher‘s Alan Ritchson. There may honestly not be enough physical room on-screen for the two of them.

Here’s everything we know about The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare so far.

Is there a trailer for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare?

Yes, and it’s not a trailer you can ignore easily. From the quickfire editing to the Queen “Another One Bites The Dust” soundtrack to the hefty moustache and beard combo Cavill sports, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is demanding your attention.

The trailer opens with the note that this is a true story, but because this is a Guy Ritchie joint, let’s assume there are going to be a few more bloody shoot-outs and bare-knuckle fistfights than the history books lay claim to. It introduces to Cavill’s rogue agent and the world’s first special forces mission. And it’s a big one. Yep, they’re taking down the Nazis, one shotgun boom at a time. You can watch the trailer below.

What is The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare about?

The film jumps into the true story of a secret WWII organisation founded by Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming. Yes, that Ian Fleming. The Bond scribe had an illustrious career in the military before penning the most iconic character of all time and was instrumental in forming the modern-day Black Ops unit.

The unit that he formed with Churchill – what Ritchie is dubbing the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – were a clandestine organisation that utilised uncommon fighting techniques to use against the Nazis. Seems like Ritchie fodder if we ever did see it.

The film is based on the book of the same name by historian Damien Lewis (not that one). According to the book’s official synopsis, it’s all about the unit’s history: “Led by dapper Scotsman Colin Gubbins, these men – along with three others – formed a secret inner circle that planned the most audacious sabotage attacks of the Second World War.

Winston Churchill called it his Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The six ‘ministers’, aided by a group of formidable ladies, were so effective that they single-handedly changed the course of the war.”

Who will star in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare?

Henry Cavill was the first name attached, notably before his re-entry and then swift exit as Superman in the DCEU. At least now with Superman out of the picture, there’s no need for him to have to get the impressive stache he sports in this edited out anytime soon.

Considering Cavill was also almost the youngest James Bond before Daniel Craig’s casting, his role in this Fleming-adjacent story is somewhat serendipitous.

Alongside Cavill will be everyone’s favourite man mountain, Reacher himself, Alan Ritchson. Also in the cast is Eiza González, known for her roles in Baby Driver and Alita: Battle Angel, Henry Golding, who will be reuniting with Ritchie following 2019’s The Gentlemen, Alex Pettyfer, of Magic Mike fame, Cary Elwes, who also starred in Ritchie’s latest film, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, the mainstay of the After franchise.

Plus, still basking in the afterglow of Top Gun: Maverick, Jerry Bruckheimer will be in the production seat.

When will The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare be out?

The trailer delivers everything but a release date, instead telling us that the film is simply ‘coming soon’. We know at least that The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare will be hitting our screens sometime in 2024.

Ritchie has expressed interest in making this movie the first in a franchise, so there might be a few more we can expect in the future too.