The East London council shut down the production of an upcoming war film starring Nicolas Cage due to concerns over Nazi iconography, according to British METRO website.
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, the film 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 utilized 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.
