The ‘Lord Of War’ Sequel Starring Nicolas Cage Begins Filming This Month

The next chapter of Nicolas Cage’s career renaissance involves a reunion with director Andrew Niccol for Lord of War 2 (official title: Lords of War).

According to Variety, the sequel will once again follow Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), the world’s most notorious gunrunner, who discovers the existence of his son Anton (Bill Skarsgard). Anton is striking out on his own by amassing a mercenary army to fight America’s Middle East conflicts, and yes… it would appear as though he’s a chip off the old uranium block.

What ensues is an “intergenerational bitter rivalry” that pits father against son.

“There is so much more to explore with these characters,” explained Andrew Niccol.

“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.” 

Philippe Rousselet of Vendôme Group, the production company backing this project, added: “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.”

Given how Lord of War ranks among the upper echelons of S-tier Cage flicks – right next to the Raising Arizona, Adaptation, Leaving Las Vegas, Pig, The Rock, Con Air, and Face/Off (which is also on track to receive a long-awaited sequel) – there are certainly high hopes for Lords of War. And more than a few concerns about tarnishing the legacy of the first film.

But with the unwavering dedication of the Cageman himself and the return of Andrew Niccol, who famously wrote and directed Gattaca and penned The Truman Show, we think it’s in safe hands. Despite the fact that both artists have taken a few career missteps in the years following Lord of War.

Lord of War 2 starring Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgard was initially scheduled to begin principal photography sometime in late 2023 with the expectation of hitting cinemas sometime in late 2024. But that’s obviously since changed. According to Variety, the sequel is scheduled to start shooting later this month in Belgium and Morocco.

“It looks like it’s happening next year [referring to 2025],” said Skarsgard during an appearance on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, who heaped praise on the “legend” that is Nic Cage.

“It’s a great script and I think it’ll be a fun one. The character, he’s a charismatic f**king a**hole. And you saw the first one… It’s so cynical and so satirical and bleak and like everyone’s terrible, and it’s also kind of a dark comedy. I like that. I like when you laugh at terrible people. So I think that’ll be a fun one.”

Elsewhere, Cage echoed similar sentiments about the quality of the screenplay: “I can tell you that the Lords of War script, which I’m very much supporting and is fascinating from an Arthurian, almost kind of storytelling aspect, where the son becomes the lead gunrunner. And it’s complex.”

“I like that about Andrew Nichol and his scripts and his movies, that they’re always very complex and well thought out and kind of intellectual, which is what he is. An intellectual. And so, yeah, I think that one is exciting and could very well happen.”

Since the initial reports, we’ve also learned that Sylvia Hoeks (Blade Runner 2049), Greg Tarzan Davis (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Top Gun: Maverick), and Laura Harrier (Spider-Man: Homecoming, BlacKkKlansman, White Men Can’t Jump) have also joined the cast – keep an eye out here for future updates on Lords of War, i.e. release date, further plot details, trailer.