Vendôme Pictures is reuniting with director Andrew Niccol and fan-favorite Nicolas Cage for a sequel to their 2005 crime drama Lord of War. Niccol will once again be behind the camera as both writer and director with Cage reprising his role as notorious gunrunner Yuri Orlov. This time, however, he’ll have a son joining him for the occasion – Bill Skarsgård. Principal photography is set to begin on the film in Fall 2023.

Lord of War is one of Cage’s lesser-known flicks. It performed well enough at the box office and received decently positive reviews, but also doesn’t stand out amidst the actor’s increasingly-wide catalog. The film was hailed, however, for highlighting the dangers of illegal international arms dealing as Cage’s Orlov was largely inspired by the exploits of notorious real-life gunrunner Viktor Bout. The sequel, titled Lords of War, will follow Orlov as he discovers the existence of his son Anton who is eager to top the crimes of his father. He’s not just interested in selling guns, but the men behind them too. Anton and Yuri will go to war as the former amasses an army of mercenaries. They’ll fight over everything, even the same woman, in their rivalry with one another as they try to climb to the top.
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As to why everyone was willing to return to the world of Lord of War now, Niccol believed that there were still plenty of stories to tell surrounding Yuri. With the addition of a son, that just adds a new wrinkle to his exploits. Niccol said in a statement:

“There is so much more to explore with these characters. Plato said it best – ‘Only the dead have seen the end of war.’ I’m looking forward to spending more time in the company of the charming devil that is Yuri Orlov and now his illegitimate son – who turns out to not be legitimate in any way.”

Image via Lionsgate Films

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Lords of War Brings Together a Stellar Team
The team behind Lords of War is one to die for. Cage, of course, is coming off of the vampire flick Renfield where he plays Dracula opposite Nicholas Hoult’s titular servant. He’s experienced quite the career arc since the original Lord of War, starring in indies like Willy’s Wonderland and even getting a fun film about himself with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Skarsgård, meanwhile, is coming off of one of the biggest film events of the year with John Wick: Chapter 4 where he played the villainous Marquis. Niccol’s credits include the all-time classic The Truman Show as well as Gattaca.

Vendôme’s Philippe Rousselet was over the moon about getting to return to Lord of War as well. “The Lord of War world has no shortage of ammunition in the possibilities of stories we can tell, and we are very excited to tell yet another one that follows Yuri and Anton’s dangerous journey,” he added in his own official statement.

Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Lords of War as it comes out. Check out the trailer for the original 2005 film below.