Production of an upcoming war film starring Nicolas Cage was shut down by an East London council due to concerns over Nazi iconography.
The American Oscar-winning actor, 62, is due to star in Fortitude, a historical spy action-adventure film directed by Simon West.
Set during the Second World War, it tells the true story of Operation Fortitude, which was undertaken by the Allied Forces in 1944 to deceive Nazi Germany leaders and mislead Nazi Intelligence.
British Intelligence operatives utilised unprecedented strategic operations such as double agents, fake armies, and military equipment to mislead the Nazis about the nature and timing of D-Day, the storming of Normandy.
Filming began in London on September 8, 2025, with other cast members including Matthew Goode, Ed Skrein, Alice Eve, Michael Sheen, and Ben Kingsley.
However, the crew encountered a hurdle when plans to shoot at Waltham Forest Town Hall fell through.
Set dressing would have included draping flags emblazoned with the swastika over the building.
While a filming permit was not formally granted and the council did not collect a fee for such, Waltham Forest Council initially signed off on the project under the conditions that residents would be consulted and ‘Nazi-era flags and symbols were not publicly visible’.
But production was ‘abruptly’ brought forward to September, having originally been planned for October, meaning there was not enough time for consultation with locals.
Consequently, a spokesperson for the East London council said it was ‘very disappointed’.
A statement read: ‘We were very disappointed when the shoot was abruptly brought forward from October to 15th September, preventing the level of consultation previously discussed, and that letters had been sent to the community by the location team stating explicitly that Nazi symbols would be highly visible during the shoot.
‘Because of these significant changes that did not honour our agreed conditions, and given the high level of sensitivity to far-right iconography, we felt we had no other choice than to refuse permission.’
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In the end, production did go ahead in Greenwich, with Cage starring as Serbian double agent Duško Popov, who is widely believed to have inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond.
Here, locals were notified that any Nazi symbols displayed were part of a historically accurate film shoot.
After this, production moved to Luton, where Cage was spotted making himself undoubtedly very popular indeed by treating the cast and crew to a hearty Greggs lunch of pastries, sandwiches, and, of course, sausage rolls.
‘Nicolas is a real man of the people,’ a source told The Sun. ‘After seeing how popular Greggs was in the UK, he decided to get them on board to feed everyone. It went down a treat.’
Meanwhile, Waltham Forest Council’s spokesperson added that ‘the council has a longstanding and positive relationship with the film and television industries’.
‘We have been immensely proud to have hosted several high-profile shoots over the years. We will do all we can to contribute to the enormous success of the capital as a sought-after location for filming and production.’
Indeed, Waltham Forest Town Hall is no stranger to some Hollywood action.
Previously, Emmy-winning Apple TV thriller series Slow Horses, starring Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden, has used it as a filming location.
And on a smaller scale, BBC’s Antiques Roadshow has gathered crowds at Fellowship Square.
It can cost tens of thousands to hire the area for a day of shooting.
For a team of five people, a full day would cost £2,045, but shooting with a crew of more than 50 people can cost over £22,000.
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