Vertical has acquired U.S. rights in an early pre-sale deal to Oscar-nominee Andrew Niccol’s crime thriller Lords of War from Oscar-winning studio Vendôme Pictures (CODA), who produced and financed the film.
Vertical will show off the pic’s footage at CinemaCon next week in Las Vegas, ahead of a planned 2027 theatrical release.
The sequel to the 2005 movie, Lord of War, which starred Oscar winner Nicolas Cage, sees the actor reprising his role as Yuri Orlov, the world’s most notorious arms dealer. When Yuri discovers he has a son, Anton (Bill 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. Lord of War grossed $72M at the global box office.
Lords of War recently wrapped production in Morocco, and was written and directed by Niccol. Pic also stars Laura Harrier (White Men Can’t Jump), Sylvia Hoeks (A Sacrifice), and Greg Tarzan Davis (Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning).
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.
The 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.
