Henry Cavill Exits Stratton

Simon West's action-thriller needs a new lead

Are you fit, able to walk nonchalantly away from giant explosions, and available at very short notice? If so, you may want to contact Simon West. The director will be on the lookout for a rapid replacement for his Stratton lead Henry Cavill, who’s quit the production a week before shooting was scheduled to start.

According to ScreenDaily, the Man of Steel had been unsuccessfully lobbying for changes to the shooting script. “[Cavill] told us he has decided not to shoot this script at this time,” said Guy Collins, co-founder of the film’s financiers GFM Films. "He had a different vision of what the film should be to us and the production team and wanted to delay production until September and shoot a different story and script.”

An action-thriller about an SBS special forces trooper co-opted into MI6 to tackle a global terrorist cell, Stratton was aimed as a potential franchise-launcher. It's based on the central character of eight books by ex-serviceman Duncan Falconer, John Stratton, a Special Boat Service operative who works with the intelligence services in Northern Ireland. He was also due to roam the likes of Kazakhstan, China, Europe and London in his duties.

Where this leaves the production, fresh from tying up distribution deals at Cannes, remains to be seen, but a delay seems inevitable. The project was set up by Promethean Productions, a new marque created by Cavill and his brother.

Cavill, meanwhile, is next up in Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E., out on August 14.

from Empire News