British SAS Thriller, STRATTON Loses Its Star

Well, that just sucks.

It was late last year that actor Henry Cavill and his brother launched their own film production banner, Promethean Productions with director Simon West finally aboard three months ago to direct British SAS actioner, Stratton which was set to begin shooting in a week. Financing had been established with a production crew in place, but apparently with just days before principal photography was set to commence, Screendaily's latest report has a different story to tell.

Cavill has reportedly dropped out of the production due to issues regarding scheduling, casting and script changes as cited by Guy Collins, co-founder of GFM Films who were financing the picture and marketing the film and securing many pre-sales deals with distributors. "After securing many distribution deals ahead of the market, we had a really good Cannes and had closed more deals ahead of production next week,” said Collins. “But just before leaving Cannes last Friday we were informed by the production company that they wanted to push the start date back by around three weeks to finalise some additional casting and make some further fixes to the script. Then, during several meetings this week in London with both sets of producers including Henry Cavill, he told us he has decided not to shoot this script at this time. 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.”

Cavill, who has been pushing for the project under his shared Promethan Productions banner with brother Charlie and producer Rex Glensy for some time now, would have played the title role as penned by former military serviceman-turned-author pen-named Duncan Falconer. The author launched the original eight-part literary series in 2003 from which the film will be based, aimed at following the story of SBS commando and Northern-Ireland intelligence operative John Stratton as he and his team set out to eliminate an international terrorist cell.

The whole situation has been described as a shock, especially since it was something that Cavill himself had been so emphatic about the character and the potential it had to offer. At any rate though, it appears that recasting is now underway with production that could start anywhere between now and the next three weeks or late summer.

Meanwhile, West's latest rock-and-roll action comedy, Salty, has recently acquired international distribution in multiple territories through reps at Carnaby International. Cavill will bow next in Guy Ritchie's The Man From U.N.C.L.E. on August 14, and next year's Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice on March 25.