Twenty-one years after first playing Yuri Orlov in Lord of War, Nicolas Cage is back on duty — and back in a role that has become a cult favourite in the meantime. The first trailer for Lords of War (note the 'S'), the sequel to Andrew Niccol's 2005 thriller, has just dropped. And the arms dealer is up against an opponent he never saw coming: his own son, Anton, played by Bill Skarsgård. Yuri discovers the existence of this illegitimate child, who has clearly inherited his taste for shady dealings, but with even wilder ambitions. The trailer makes it plain that Anton isn't simply looking to take over from his father — he wants to outdo him entirely, raising his own army of mercenaries and cashing in on America's conflicts in the Middle East to build a genuine military empire.
Good news: Andrew Niccol is back at the helm for this sequel, as both director and writer. That said, the filmmaker shifts part of his story towards the world of private military companies and mercenaries, without abandoning the international arms trade that sat at the heart of the first film. The face-off between Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgård also promises to add a new dimension to the story, with two characters who share the same cynicism but not necessarily the same way of doing business. For this sequel, Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgård are joined by Laura Harrier, Sylvia Hoeks and Greg Tarzan Davis, which means Cage is the only member of the original cast to reprise his role.
The first Lord of War, released in 2005, followed the rise of Yuri Orlov, the international dealer played by Nicolas Cage, relentlessly pursued by Interpol agent Jack Valentine, played by Ethan Hawke. Jared Leto played his brother Vitaly, drawn into his criminal activities, while Bridget Moynahan played his wife, Ava. The film did very well in France, pulling in around 1.3 million admissions. Will the sequel match it? We'll find out on 13 January 2027 in France, while the film is due out on 22 January in the United States. Yes, that's a bit odd.
