Henry Cavill To Star In Simon West-Directed Thriller Stratton

Before we catch sight of Henry Cavill reprising his Man Of Steel role in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, he’s committing to a variety of different projects, including this latest on from the director of Con Air. Variety reports that Simon West has signed to direct Cavill in Stratton, a special forces action thriller based on Duncan Falconer’s series of novels.

In the title role, Cavill will play a Special Boat Service operative who’s repeatedly sent into dangerous scenarios when British Intelligence are at their wits end. For Stratton, he will be sent across the globe as he’s tasked with tracking down an international terrorist cell. There are eight of Falconer’s books that chronicle Stratton’s adventures, but the movie is said to be based on the first, entitled The Hostage.

Here’s an abbreviated synopsis (via Amazon):

“When an undercover operation monitoring the Real IRA goes horrifically wrong, British Intelligence turns to the one man who can get their agent out: Stratton, an SBS operative with a lethal reputation. It’s a dangerous race against time—if the Real IRA get to the Republic before Stratton gets to the Real IRA, his colleague is as good as dead. But the battle in the Northern Ireland borders is just the beginning. For there can only be one way the Real IRA knew about the British agent—someone inside MI5 is tipping them off.”

The stories penned by Falconer have been somewhat of an inspiration for Cavill, who could be in line for yet another franchise if all goes well.

“I’ve long wanted to tell a story about the British Special Forces, and finally the opportunity has come around,” he said. “Duncan Falconer’s work is fantastic, and we are incredibly fortunate to be working with him so closely. We plan to convert the books to cinema as accurately as possible while keeping them topical.”

His enthusiasm for the movie is clearly infectious, as he will produce the feature along with his brother Charlie and producer Rex Glensy. Stratton is expected to begin shooting this summer in Italy and London, and we’ll definitely keep you posted as more updates arise.