It appears that Guy Ritchie is done toying around with big-budget tentpole filmmaking for the time being.
After successfully launching the Robert Downey, Jr.-led “Sherlock Holmes” franchise, the British filmmaker went on to direct “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” and the upcoming live-action Disney remake “Aladdin.” With the last decade filled with projects like that, it’s hard to believe that Ritchie is the same filmmaker that brought audiences “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”
Well, according to a new report, the director is done with those big franchises and wants to return to his roots with the film, “Toff Guys.”
According to Deadline, Guy Ritchie is lining up “Toff Guys” to be the next film he directs and judging by their synopsis of the film, it sounds like it could be a return-to-form from the director. The report says that the film “is set at the intersection of ‘Sexy Beast’ and ‘Downton Abbey,’ and follows a very English drug lord attempting to cash out on his highly profitable empire by selling it off to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.”
Now, if you’re thinking this sounds like a great way to showcase the very fast-talking British dialogue that Ritchie is known for mixed with the distinct Oklahoman-way of speaking, then you’re on the right track. Apparently, Ritchie wants to juxtapose the two cultures in a way that only he can. And let’s be honest, we’ve been waiting for over a decade for this type of film from the director.
“Toff Guys” is written by Ritchie, along with Marn Davies and Ivan Atkinson. There’s no word yet on a cast or release date, as Ritchie is planning on selling this film at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, as the event is a great place to find international buyers.