The Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard are back

Bill Nighy is Wilson from the Walmington-on-Sea Home GuardFilming is about to start on the second film version of the classic British TV comedy, Dad’s Army. With an impressive British cast with Bill Nighy, Catherine Zeta Jones, Toby Jones, Tom Courtenay and Michael Gambon to name but a few.

The creative team, director Oliver Parker and writer Hamish McColl are back together after working on Johnny English Reborn. I’m not sure that this is a good thing but I was never a big fan of the Johnny English character anyway. On the other hand, from people who have seen that film, I hear We’re dooomed!

I do think some of the casting is inspired, especially casting Bill Nighy as Wilson. John le Mesurier is, as with the rest of the principle cast, will be a hard act to follow. Trying to keep to the original characters but also try and bring something new to these much loved characters, and a very silly boy 😉

The one cast member I was wondering is the casting to Toby Jones as the jumped up little Hitler that Captain Mainwaring is. however, after a quick dig around the web [ Ok, it was his Wikipedia entry ], I have changed my mind. I’m sure he has the range and presence to pull off such a hard role to get right.

It is 1944 and World War II is reaching its climax. The Allies are poised to invade France and finally defeat the German army. But in Walmington-on-Sea morale amongst the Home Guard is low. Their new mission then – to patrol the Dover army base – is a great chance to revive spirits and reputation, that is until glamorous journalist Rose Winters arrives to write about their exploits, setting the pulses racing and putting the local women on red alert. MI5 then discover a radio signal sent direct to Berlin from Walmington-on-Sea. There’s a spy on the loose! The outcome of the war is suddenly at stake, and it falls to our unlikely heroes to stand up and be counted.

Protecting UK cinemas from the German Army 2016