Hollywood stars Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgård have been spotted filming on the streets of Ghent, Brussels and Charleroi over the past week.
The actors are in Belgium to film ‘Lords of War’, the long-awaited sequel to Andrew Niccol's 2005 movie, ‘Lord of War’. The film, a British-Belgian co-production, also stars Laura Harier and Sylvia Hoeks.
The original film told the story of Ukrainian arms dealer Yuri Orlov (Cage), tracing his story from the Cold War to the start of the War on Terror. In the sequel, Orlov discovers he has a son (Skarsgård), triggering dangerous family rivalries.
VRT reported that Cage was seen filming last week at the Graslei in Ghent, where the Post Hotel was transformed into a film set, drawing a huge crowd of onlookers. Hotel owner Damien Brunin told the broadcaster that the hotel's entrance hall and terrace are a "kind of weapons depot in the film”.
The crew previously filmed in the Bois de la Cambre in Brussels and in the Quai de Sambre in Marchienne-au-Pont near Charleroi. Residents were reportedly warned in advance that the crew would take over the street for the duration of filming.
According to RTBF, Marchienne-au-Pont was supposed to represent Croatia during the Balkans conflict. Burning cars and military vehicles were spotted on the set.
Production manager Naïm Vandenbreed explained to RTBF why Charleroi was chosen as a filming location: "Our reference point was a town between two bridges. And so this location was perfect for us given its layout. It was obviously searched for all over Belgium, and a location scout found this place, which the director liked.
"And then, what's great for me as the production manager is that the City of Charleroi welcomes us with open arms. This is the third film I've worked on here, and we've never had any problems. Each time we're well received, whether by the city or the residents.”
‘Lords of War’ is set to be released in May 2027. The majority of the movie will reportedly be filmed on location in Morocco.
