Simon West, the filmmaker behind “Con Air” — and plenty of bad movies — is reteaming with Nicolas Cage on his World War II espionage thriller “Fortitude,” which began shooting in London on September 8 (via Deadline).
The project marks a return to large-scale action for West and, hopefully, hints at an “artistic” comeback of sorts, although I remain skeptical.
The “Fortitude” cast is very much an ensemble. Joining Cage are Matthew Goode, Michael Sheen, Lukas Haas, Ed Skrein, and Ben Kingsley. As mentioned, Cage is reuniting with West nearly three decades after “Con Air” became a major box-office hit.
“Fortitude” dramatizes the deception operations undertaken by British Intelligence to outwit Nazi leadership and shift the trajectory of the war. The story centers on officers Dudley Clarke and Thomas Argyll “Tar” Robertson, who masterminded campaigns using fake armies, props, and double agents. Among them is the charismatic Yugoslavian spy Dusko Popov, widely believed to have inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond.
The screenplay is by Simon Afram (“Lear Rex”), who also serves as a producer. In 2023, Afram famously sued Martin Scorsese, alleging the director took $500,000 to support his “Fortitude” script but failed to act. Afram claimed Scorsese ignored him, while the director’s team argued Afram was inexperienced and misunderstood the lengthy development process. The lawsuit was quietly settled nearly a year later.
As for why I remain skeptical about “Fortitude,” it mostly revolves around West, who comes off having directed “Bride Hard,” the Rebel Wilson-starring spy action comedy released this past June, which received Razzie-worthy reviews.
West is the man behind “Con Air,” his only good film, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” and a long string of bad action movies. Fun fact: that 25% Rotten Tomatoes score for “Bride Hard” isn’t even his career low — he’s had films hit zero, and a few under 20. The man has range, but the wrong kind. How he managed to greenlight “Fortitude” with such a talented cast remains a mystery.