‘Operation Mincemeat’: Netflix Release Date & What We Know

Netflix acquired Operation Mincemeat from multiple countries. The movie is a big-budget World War II thriller that stars big names such as Colin Firth (The King’s Speech), Matthew Macfayden (Succession) and Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter saga). Here’s the latest and everything we know so far as of October 2021.

John Madden (Oscar-nominated Director), is well-known for Shakespeare in Love. He directed the movie which was announced in May 2019.

The script for Operation Mincemeat, adapted from the book of the same name by author and historian Ben Macintyre, was penned by Michelle Ashford who is best known for Showtime’s Masters of Sex. The film comes from See-Saw Films (The King’s Speech) and Cohen Media Group (Howard’s End) with producers Charles S. Cohen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Kris Thykier.

Sherman and Producers Canning concurred:

“Operation Mincemeat is a thrilling depiction of hope and high stakes daring that is all the more incredible for being based on a true story. It’s been wonderful to reunite with Colin again and we couldn’t be more delighted to continue our relationship with Netflix and to share John’s magnificent film with the world.”

Operation Mincemeat will be available on Netflix when and where?

Operation Mincemeat wasn't originally meant for streaming, but Covid and current cinema theatres made it possible for Netflix to make a deal for $15 million with See-Saw Media Group and Cohen Media Group for North and Latin America distribution.

Warner Brothers International had planned to release this movie theatrically in January 2022, but it was postponed until April 22nd 2022. WB has distribution rights for the UK and Ireland as well as Germany, Spain (France), Germany, Spain, Italy (Belgium), Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Spain.

Operation Mincemeat will be available on Netflix USA, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

Netflix revealed that the film would be available to it in May 2022, as part of their 2022 movie slate. Operation Mincemeat is set to release on Netflix May 11, 2022.

How does Operation Mincemeat work?

Operation Mincemeat, a deception military operation that was carried out during World War II by the Allied Forces. Its aim was to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily as merely a feint, by planting false documents and correspondence on a corpse and faking the corpse’s identity as a fictional Captain of the army. Spain found the corpse and documents in a sub-sea vessel near Spain's shores. The documents were then shared with Germans who believed that Greece was the Allies main target. The operation proved to be successful, as even Adolf Hitler was deceived by the plan and didn’t provide enough forced to defend Sicily while the Allied forces were liberating it.

Ewen Montagu, Colin Firth and Charles Cholmondeley were responsible for the operation's planning and execution. It was, however, inspired by The Trout Memo from 1939, issued under the name of Admiral John Godfrey, Britain’s director of naval intelligence, but written by Ian Fleming, who is best known for creating the iconic gentleman spy James Bond. This memo describes 54 methods an enemy could be trapped or lured, much like a trout.

Ewen Montagu, a historian and author about the entire operation after the war published The Man Who Never Was. Later, the book was adapted to a 1956 movie of the same title. Netflix’s adaptation, however, takes author and historian Ben Mcintyre’s Operation Mincemeat book as the source material for the film.

John Madden is Director of Operation Mincemeat.

“In the context of WW2 narratives, the story of Operation Mincemeat is unique – a bizarre and seductive cinematic blend of high-level espionage and ingenious fiction, where the stakes could hardly be higher. Michelle Ashford’s script fuses multiple strands and moods: tense, romantic, thrilling, unexpectedly funny, and endlessly surprising. It tells a richly human story of the soldiers we seldom see, who fight a different kind of war in shadows and deception, haunted by the knowledge that certainty and guarantee of success are nowhere to be found.”

Operation Mincemeat: Who are the cast?

Netflix’s Operation Mincemeat is led by Colin Firth, who won an Oscar for his performance in The King’s Speech. Matthew Macfayden, who is known for Succession and Ripper Street, will join him. They will play the roles of Charles Cholmondeley and Ewen Montagu, who are both masterminds behind Operation Mincemeat. Kelly Macdonald, from Boardwalk Empire and No Country for Old Men), will join them as Jean Leslie, a Marine officer.

Simon Russell Beale, Penny Dreadful, The Death of Stalin), Johnny Flynn, Vanity Fair, Genius, Jason Isaacs, Harry Potter, The OA, and Winston Churchill will join them as John Godfrey, Ian Fleming, and John Godfrey.

Production Timeline for Operation Mincemeat

Operation Mincemeat was launched in December 2019, and finished production just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming was done in Spain and the UK. Below is a collection of photos from DailyMail's Sicily Invasion Shoot at Saunton Sands in the UK.

Here's a short video in which Colin Firth and his co-stars are seen wearing their uniforms.

Do you look forward to Operation Mincemeat being available on Netflix? Comment below.