Andrew Niccol’s Lords of War Acquired by Vertical
Vertical has acquired U.S. rights in an early pre-sale deal to acclaimed filmmaker and Academy Award-nominee Andrew Niccol’s crime thriller Lords of War from Academy Award®-winning studio Vendôme Pictures (CODA), who produced and financed the film.
Lords of War recently wrapped production in Morocco and was written and directed by Niccol. The sequel to his 2005 film Lord of War stars Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage (Longlegs), Bill Skarsgård (Dead Man’s Wire), Laura Harrier (White Men Can’t Jump), Sylvia Hoeks (A Sacrifice), and Greg Tarzan Davis (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning).
Vertical will unveil the first footage from the film for exhibitors at CinemaCon next week in Las Vegas, ahead of a planned 2027 theatrical release. In the sequel Lords of War, Nicolas Cage reprises his role as Yuri Orlov, the world’s most notorious arms dealer.
When Yuri discovers he has a son, Anton (Skarsgård), a ruthless mercenary mastermind bent on surpassing his father by building a private army and exploiting America’s wars in the Middle East, he is thrust into a deadly battle for legacy. What begins as a shocking revelation ignites a fierce father-son rivalry fueled by power, ambition, and betrayal – with the global arms trade hanging in the balance.
“As a storyteller, I always felt there was so much more to explore with the ‘merchant of death’ that is Nicolas Cage’s charming devil, Yuri Orlov. This latest chapter gave me the chance to introduce his ultimate rival: his illegitimate son, Anton – illegitimate in every sense of the word – played by the equally roguish Bill Skarsgård,” said Niccol.
“Set against the largely unseen world of mercenaries, the film quickly reveals that Anton isn’t out to right his father’s wrongs; he’s out to top them. We’re delighted to be partnering with Vertical on the U.S. release – the team has fully embraced the film’s vision and its portrayal of the insanity of war.”
“Vertical is thrilled to unveil the first footage from Lords of War for exhibitors at CinemaCon next week. With Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgård going head-to-head, audiences are in for a tense, electrifying ride,” added Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey. “Lord of War has long been one of the defining crime thrillers for me, and it’s incredibly exciting to partner with Andrew Niccol as he returns to the explosive world of Yuri Orlov.”
The film was produced by Philippe Rousselet and Fabrice Gianfermi, who produced the original, for Vendôme Pictures, Niccol, Cage for Saturn Films, and executive produced by Skarsgård, Alice Dawson, Fifth Season’s Graham Taylor and Christopher Slager, and Vertical’s Rich Goldberg and Peter Jarowey.
Sammi Farber served as associate producer. The additional below-the-line talent includes director of photography Amir Mokri (Pixels), editor Alex Rodríguez (Extraction II), costume designer Oliver Garcia (Chevalier), and production designer Philip Ivey (Ballerina), with casting by Orla Maxwell (Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die) and music by Antonio Pinto (The Mosquito Coast).
The Lords of War deal was negotiated by Jarowey on behalf of Vertical and by Vendôme Pictures and CAA Media Finance on behalf of the filmmakers. International sales are being handled by FilmNation Entertainment.
