Alongside a star-studded cast —which includes Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Cary Elwes, and so many more — and Guy Ritchie in the director’s chair,The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfarealso has the backing and support of legendary Hollywood producer,Jerry Bruckheimer. Bruckheimer is responsible for some of the best action franchises of the last 40 years, includingTop Gun,Bad Boys,Pirates of the Carribean, andBeverly Hills Cop,to name just a few.
We were lucky enough to sit down one-to-one with Jerry Bruckheimer to discuss his involvement inThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfareand his unique ability to pick massive hits. During the conversation, we also touched on the topics of script changes, legacy sequels, andthe likelihood ofNational Treasure 3. You can watch our interview video above or read on for more.
How The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’s Script Changed Throughout Production
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
MovieWeb:So, workingwith Guy Ritchie, he’s known to make a lot of changes on the fly during production. How much of that first script that you read actually made it to the final cut?
Jerry Bruckheimer:Not much. I mean, the story, obviously. The characters are all there. The theme, the plot, everything is there. All the historical events came out of the script, obviously, and the book. A lot of the scenes were there. But the way he re-does the dialogue and adds the humor —there wasn’t much humor in the original story, so he brought all that to it, which makes it so much more fun.
Henry Cavill, Alex Pettyfer, and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin Discuss Guy Ritchie Behind-the-Scenes
Henry Cavill, Alex Pettyfer, and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin go behind-the-scenes on The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
MW:You’ve famously said that you never know if a film is going to be a hit or not until it’s in the hands of the audiences. Are there any signs that you look for during production, outside the cast and the names attached? And what signs did you get from this project?
Jerry Bruckheimer:Well,I think it’s about characters. The drama.There’s a lot of drama in this. There’s a lot of humor in this. And I think when you saw it, you picked up on all those things. So I think that if it’s going to be a success, those are the reasons I think people want to see it. Tell people to go see it. Also, word of mouth, hopefully, will be good.
Jerry Bruckheimer Dissects Legacy Sequels and Reboots
MW:So we’re currently going through an age where a lot of legacy sequels and reboots are failing with critics and audiences, butTop Gun: Maverickwas a smash hit. What do you think is missing from a lot of these projects, but that was inTop Gun: Maverick?
Jerry Bruckheimer:I can’t tell you that. I don’t know. We just make our movies and hope everybody does well. And it all depends on the story itself.But if you create an original, and then you do a sequel to it, you have to pepper it with the things that were in the original.Because that’s what people want.But they don’t want to have things repeated to them. So there’s a fine line to balance.Some people can do it, and some people don’t quite get it for the audience. So you never know.
MW:And speaking of sequels, do you feel like, following on from this, there would be the opportunity to do a sequel? To turn it into a franchise and build off the potential success of this one?
Jerry Bruckheimer:If it was up to me? Yes. But it’s not up to me. It’s up to the audience.If the audience loves the movie, we’ll make another one. Guy certainly would like to and the cast had such a good time making this movie, they’ll do it again.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Ending, Explained: Does Henry Cavill’s Team Survive the Mission?
Does Henry Cavill’s team survive their covert mission? Here’s what The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’s ending actually means.
Jerry Bruckheimer Says National Treasure 3 Is Being Written
MW:And just sticking on the topic of sequels, quickly. Nicolas Cage recently commented and was quoted saying that “there is noNational Treasure 3.” Are you able to comment on that at all?
Jerry Bruckheimer:Well, we hope there’s aNational Treasure 3.We’ve been working on it for quite a while. And we have a brilliant writer working on it right now.So, hopefully, if we get a script in a timely fashion, we’ll send it to Nic. And if he likes it, we’ll make another one. But we certainly would like to.
So would we.The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfareexplodes into cinemas on April 19 from Lionsgate. The film is a production of Black Bear Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Toff Guy Films, Red Sea Film Fund, C2 Motion Picture Group, Media Capital, Technologies Plus Studio.
