The contemporary topic of worldwide arms trading has been debateed and discussed in the modern media but never has a film so closely addressed the acutality of this business. Writer/director Andrew Niccol drew his inspiration from a series of current events throughout the years when first embarking on creating the character of Yuri Orlov, the gun-runner whose business dealing lead to him being dubbed the 'Lord of War'. A composite of fice different real-life arms dealers, for Niccol the character of Orlov was also a character study, exploring the darker side of human nature.

However fictitious the character of Orlov, the events themselves depicted in the film were not. "Almost all of the events in the film have an actual precedent,' comments Niccol. "Military helcopters being sold as rescue helicopters, arms dealers changing the names and resistrations of their ships out at sea, a well-known arms dealer released from U.S custody under mysterious circumstances, the facts about the plundering of Soviet military hardware after the collapse of the U.S.S.R., are all true."

However it was this adherence to true life events that made it even more difficult than usual to secure financing for the project. Niccol elaborates, "Since the film does not shy away from stating the facts about the role of the U.S in supplying arms, it was considered too controversial. The task of finding U.S financing was made even more difficult by the timing of the script submission - one week before the beginning of the war in Iraq."

It was a variety of foreign investors who were corageous enough to gamble on the film's validity and the power of the script. Producer Philippe Rousselet was instrumental in procuring the financing to allow the film to be made but even he did not find it an easy task. "When you try to sell a movie that tells the story of an arms dealer in the in the world of gun-running a week before the war in Iraq starts, it gives you an idea of how difficult it's going to be to put your financing together. It actually took me a year and a half. And I probably have had three financing structures so I could have made three movies with all the deals I have closed on the film; that ultimately went away."

Neither Rousselet nor Niccol were willing to give up on the film. When Rousselet had originally come on board he had been drawn by the quality and intelligence of Niccol's writing and remained assured that this would become a rare production. Rousselet expands, "It's such a powerful story, such powerful characters, such a unique way of writing. It's rare and very fortunate to get the chance to read a script like Andrew's."

It was the strength of the material that also attracted a high caliber cast to Lord of War. "I certainly was impressed by the fact that it didn't ull any punches, the honesty of it I think," muses actor Nicolas Cage, who took on the main role of arms trader Yuri Orlov. "Not many people have the guts to lay it out the way Andrew has. That's part of the reson that I wanted to do the script, it seemed to be so unlike anything else. It had a unique and original story and it's an inside look at what I think is the reality of the gun trade."

Cage, who believed in the material enough to come on board as one of the producers of the film, continues: "We got involved about two years ago and started talking to Andrew about the script and started to have meetings about the concepts, talking to other actors and how it would be put together.

It's not a low budget film, it is maybe on the largest truly independent films; in that there is no real American component financing this film."

Producer Rousselet remembers the first meeting between Cage and Niccol. "He (Niccol) met with Nic for the first time and he met him in his office and he had a table like 10 meters long covered with pictures from magazines and newspapers, everything, about how he was seeing the film; what it will be. He was describing the film to Nic like this and at the end of the table was an actual AK-47. Andrew asked Nic, "So, do you want to do the film or not?" Nic said, "Yes."

Niccol himself could not imagine another actor being able to play the morally conflicted role of Yuri Orlov with such charisma. "Nicolas Cage is maybe the only actor who could make an arms dealer like Yuri Orlov both plasible and likeable at the same time," he says.

It was not only Cage who was enticed by the material. Actor Ethan Hawke who plays Orlov's counterpart Interpol agent Jack Valentine was already a fan of Niccol's work with whom he had previously collaborated on the film Gattaca. "Everything about the way Andrew writes surprises me," comments Hawke. "First of all, the subject matter alone is such an interesting territory of the human universe to be exploring. I know I was shocked by the script and really interested in it."

"This film is really unique," says actor Jared Leto who took on the role of Orlov's younger brother Vitaly. "When I read the script I was really surprised because it's a part political social commentary and part character study of this arms dealer and it's something I've never seen on film before. I've never seen a movie about this world at all. It fascinated me and taught me a lot."

Actress Bridget Moynahan is quick to agree with her co-starts: "Lord of War was one of those rare scripts - well written, bold and forgiving. Such great material -- Nic Cage -- meant that I had to do this movie!"

Alongside the powerful main cast, director Andrew Nicole aslo brought in veteran actor Ian Holm to star as the old school arms dealer, Simeon Weisz, contrasting with Cage's brash, young Orlov. Actor Eamonn Walker's screen presence humanized one of the most vicious African dictators of the time, Andre Baptiste, alongside Sammi Rotibi who captured the mindless violence of Baptiste's son, Andre Junior.

In fact, producer Philippe Rousselet was quick to confirm that Niccol's script prompted an instantly affirmative response from every actor they approached. "Nic has asways been attached to the film, he was the first to come on board. Ethan has always been in Andrew's head, so for us we've always worked on the assumption that Ethan will be part of the film. So even though we hadn't laid down the process officially, off the record he's always been with us," enthuses Rousselet. "What's great about Andrew and his work is that there's no hesitation when actors read the script or when they meet Andrew."