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After naming chief technology officer Hans Vestberg next in line as CEO, Verizon announced that top operations exec John Stratton is resigning from his current role and will leave the company by the end of the year.

Stratton, 57, is exiting Verizon after more than 25 years at the telco and predecessor company Bell Atlantic Mobile. Most recently, he was Evp and president of global operations.

Lowell McAdam will retire as Verizon’s CEO effective Aug. 1, when Vestberg takes the reins. “Effective immediately, Stratton will step down from his current role and will support a smooth transition as a strategic adviser reporting to Lowell McAdam,” Verizon said in a statement Friday.

Swedish-native Vestberg is the former CEO of Ericsson who joined Verizon in April 2017 as Cto and Evp/president of global networks. He was ousted by Ericsson in 2016 after a string of missing quarterly financial targets.

The reshuffling of Verizon’s top...

Stars: Dominic Cooper, Gemma Chan, Connie Nielsen, Tom Felton, Tyler Hoechlin, Derek Jacobi, Austin Stowell, Thomas Kretschmann | Written by Warren Davis II, Duncan Falconer | Directed by Simon West

Directed by Simon West (Con Air), this British spy thriller clearly fancies itself as the basis of a lucrative action franchise in the Bond or Bourne mould. Unfortunately, the action is decidedly sub-par and the central character is as dull as dishwater, which doesn’t bode well for its chances of future instalments.

Based on a series of novels by former Special Boat Service commando Duncan Falconer (who co-wrote the screenplay), Stratton centres on pint-sized Sbs commando John Stratton (Dominic Cooper), who’s tasked with capturing evil Russian agent Grigori Barovsky (Thomas Kretschmann), before he unleashes a deadly terror attack on central London. The mission has a personal edge for Stratton, as Barovsky is the man responsible for the death of his former partner,...

Derek Jacobi’s performance is among the lowlights of this embarrassing Bond-on-a-boat affair

Less an action movie, more a direct breach of the Geneva conventions, Stratton is a wannabe Bond knock-off with water on the brain. Dominic Cooper stars as John Stratton, member of an elite band of commandos called the Special Boat Service. Their skills involve causing international incidents, exchanging casual banter while wearing wetsuits and holding their breath for a really long time.

The acting is chiselled and stubbly – most of the characters look as if they are more interested in launching their own range of personal grooming products than in the weapon of mass uninterest that is the plot. Two performances stand out: Derek Jacobi is utterly bizarre as a salty sea dog who lives on a Thames barge and quotes limericks and Connie Nielsen is staggeringly bad as Stratton’s boss. She sounds like a drunk...

Review by Matthew Turner

Stars: Dominic Cooper, Gemma Chan, Connie Nielsen, Tom Felton, Tyler Hoechlin, Derek Jacobi, Austin Stowell, Thomas Kretschmann | Written by Warren Davis II, Duncan Falconer | Directed by Simon West

Directed by Simon West (Con Air), this British spy thriller clearly fancies itself as the basis of a lucrative action franchise in the Bond or Bourne mould. Unfortunately, the action is decidedly sub-par and the central character is as dull as dishwater, which doesn’t bode well for its chances of future instalments.

Based on a series of novels by former Special Boat Service commando Duncan Falconer (who co-wrote the screenplay), Stratton centres on pint-sized Sbs commando John Stratton (Dominic Cooper), who’s tasked with capturing evil Russian agent Grigori Barovsky (Thomas Kretschmann), before he unleashes a deadly terror attack on central London. The mission has a personal edge for Stratton, as Barovsky is the man responsible for...

Dominic Cooper stars in the action thriller, Stratton. Any good? Er...

It says a lot about a film when its most memorable moment is an incorrect use of geography. The moment when a character is on a bus leaving Camden and is then suddenly in Piccadilly evoked the same noise from the audience of London-based critics that I imagine would have been emitted at the response to Thor’s ‘How do I get to Greenwich?’ question in The Dark World. It was a cacophony of snort-sigh-laugh that connoted that the audience had officially given up on the film. Even more unfortunately, that was also the film’s most entertaining moment, for Stratton is otherwise a pretty unremarkable caper: a by-the-numbers movie about a macho-maverick-man doing macho-maverick-man things.

Based on The Hostage - book number one of eight in the John Stratton series by Duncan Falconer – Stratton is about John Stratton (surprise!

Ian Fleming’s character James Bond was ostensibly a commander in the Royal Navy, but we rarely saw him get much action on any sea vessels aside from the odd shag after blowing up an island base. John Stratton, likewise, maintains a somewhat tenuous connection to boats, despite being a Special Boat Service operator in the British Secret Intelligence Service. At least so far as we can tell from this trailer. Maybe 90 percent of Simon West’s new spy thriller Stratton takes place on the deck of ships, and they just chose not to focus on that for this trailer. Fair enough.

Dominic Cooper (Preacher) stars as the title character, a slightly reinvented version of the author whose books inspired the film. Duncan Falconer is the pseudonym of an actual former Sbs commando who spun his own autobiography out into a series of fictional novels to presumably show how ...

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Cheer on local talent with these potentially great UK films from 2016, including drama, comedy, action, horror, fantasy & more…

While Batman Vs Superman, Captain America: Civil War, X-Men Apocalypse and other mega franchises are expected to dominate cinemas in 2016, let’s hear it for the films below. None are sequels, few have titanic budgets, all of them are British and each of them has the potential to be great.

2016 looks to be a particularly strong year for UK crime drama, with Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, Adam Smith’s Trespass Against Us and Michael Apted’s Unlocked on their way. Military thrillers are also well represented this year, with Gavin Hood’s Eye In The Sky, Fernando Coimbra’s Sand Castle, and Simon West’s Stratton incoming. There’s also comedy, fantasy, drama, horror and even a musical waiting for you below.

A Street Cat Named Bob (dir.

Update with more details: Dominic Cooper has been tapped to replace Henry Cavill in the action-thriller Stratton, the movie based on the series of novels by ex-sbs agent Duncan Falconer. This is the action thriller that Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr first told you Cavill had picked to launch his Promethean production shingle, with the Superman actor attached to produce star as John Stratton, an operative of the Sbs who works with the Intelligence Detachment in Northern…...

Henry Cavill is understood to have left Simon West's Stratton with just a week to go until filming starts.

It's left the director scrambling to find a replacement lead before cameras start rolling.

The film is hoped to be the first in a franchise based on books by ex-serviceman Duncan Falconer; the first one is based around John Stratton - a special forces operative who works with MI6 to shut down a global terrorist cell.

Empire reports (via Screen Daily) the Man of Steel's exit is down to not being able to make changes he had suggested to the shooting script.

That seems to be backed up by comments from Guy Collins, co-founder of the film's financiers Gfm Films: "[Cavill] told us he has decided not to shoot this script at this time."

"He had a different vision of what the film should be to us and the...

When you consider how many moving parts are involved in making movies it’s a shock that they get made at all. Even a week before filming starts, when you’d think most details have been finalized, things can change so drastically that a film’s star can walk away. In this case, Henry Cavill is leaving the special forces movie Stratton due to problems with a minor film detail, the script. The Man of Steel actor was on board as both the star and as a producer of the film, but, according to Screen Daily, pulled out at the last minute because there were unspecified issues with the script. The film is based on the series of novels by Duncan Falconer, about the titular character, John Stratton, a member of Special Boat Service, a British Naval Special Forces unit. The film’s ...

Are you fit, able to walk nonchalantly away from giant explosions, and available at very short notice? If so, you may want to contact Simon West. The director will be on the lookout for a rapid replacement for his Stratton lead Henry Cavill, who’s quit the production a week before shooting was scheduled to start.According to ScreenDaily, the Man of Steel had been unsuccessfully lobbying for changes to the shooting script. “[Cavill] told us he has decided not to shoot this script at this time,” said Guy Collins, co-founder of the film’s financiers Gfm Films. "He had a different vision of what the film should be to us and the production team and wanted to delay production until September and shoot a different story and script.”An action-thriller about an Sbs special forces trooper co-opted into MI6 to tackle a global terrorist cell, Stratton was aimed as a potential franchise-launcher.

Not content with just being the man of steel or the man from U.N.C.L.E., Henry Cavill formed his own production company with his brother last year to bring another character to silver screens. That character is John Stratton, a Special Boat Service commando popularized in the Douglas Falconer novels that follow Stratton as he and his team track down a lethal international terrorist. Chosen to direct the first feature is Simon West, who more recently worked with Jason Statham in Wild Card....

Though his multi-picture deal with Warner Bros., which has him suiting up to play the Man of Steel himself in at least 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017’s Justice League, should keep him very busy for the foreseeable future, British thesp Henry Cavill is finding time to step into another action hero role for the upcoming Stratton.

In a pre-American Film Market deal, the star will play a British spy named John Stratton. The pic, based on the novel series by Duncan Falconer, may launch a franchise for Promethean Productions, Amber Entertainment and Gfm Films. Promethean was created by Cavill and his brother Charlie along with producer Rex Glensy, which partly explains the actor’s willingness to take on yet another action hero role after years of starring in comparable fare like The Cold Light of Day and Immortals.

“Having the opportunity to expand my horizons into filmmaking is incredibly exciting.

"Man of Steel" Henry Cavill has joined the cast of the action-thriller "Stratton" which his newly launched Promethean Productions label will co-produce with Amber Entertainment and Gfm Films.

The film is based on a series of eight novels by British Royal Marine and Sbs commando Duncan Falconer. The books follow the character of John Stratton, a lethal Special Boat Services operative who specialises in rescuing high-value targets.

The film will be spread across multiple locations including southern Italy, Rome and London. Filming aims to begin in the Spring.

Source: Variety...

Henry Cavill has formed his own production company (Promethean Productions) with his brother and producer Rex Glensy, and according to Deadline, their first project will be an adaptation of Duncan Falconer's Stratton novels. If the name sounds fake, it's because Duncan Falconer is a pseudonym used by the author, who is a former Special Boat Service commando. Falconer used his military background to create John Stratton, a Sbs operative who works with Intelligence Detachment in...

With Man Of Steel under his belt, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice on the way and a selection of movies in the works, Henry Cavill clearly feels he’s reached the stage where he should set up a production company to develop projects for himself. He’s done just that, launching Promethean Productions, which has acquired the rights to Duncan Falconer’s Stratton novels.The author, a pseudonym for a man who has channelled his own military background into the character, has published eight books in the series. They all focus on John Stratton, a Special Boat Service operative who works with the intelligence services in Northern Ireland. But he’ll also roam the likes of Kazakhstan, China, Europe and London in his duties.Cavill plans to take the lead, aiming to kick off a new action franchise. There’s no word on a writer, but the producers – including Amber Ltd.

Exclusive: Henry Cavill, who brings his Man of Steel character to Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and two Justice League films, has formed his own production shingle and set its first feature project. Promethean Productions was created by Cavill, his brother Charlie Cavill and London-based producer Rex Glensy. Their first project will be Stratton, an action thriller that Promethean will produce with Amber Entertainment and Gfm Films. It is based on an eight-novel series by Duncan Falconer, a pseudonym for an author who used his own military background to inform the lead character. John Stratton is an operative of the Sbs who works with the Intelligence Detachment in Northern Ireland. The character seems a strong fit for Cavill, starting out in Kazakhstan and China and moving to mainland Europe and London.

“Having the opportunity to expand my horizons into filmmaking is incredibly exciting,” Henry Cavill said. “Getting to work...

Stars: Peter Cushing, Shane Briant, Madeline Smith, David Prowse, John Stratton, Michael Ward, Elsie Wagstaff, Patrick Troughton, Philip Voss, Bernard Lee | Written by Anthony Hinds | Directed by Terence Fisher

I often pride myself on the fact that I grew up on Hammer films and many of my favourite moments have come from actors such as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. As I watched most of the movies for the first time as a child there were some that never really connected me that much, one of them being Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. As I’ve grown older though and more mature I’ve discovered that the movies I felt were the weakest of Hammer’s collection of horrors are often their strongest. Now that Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell is making its way to Blu-ray, this is my chance to revisit it and give it a second chance.

Feature Alex Westthorp 4 Feb 2014 - 07:00

From washer women to harlequins via milkmen, Alex looks back over the Doctor's penchant for disguise over the decades...

So, we've finally had our first glimpse of Peter Capaldi in his new Doctor Who costume. My personal opinion for the record: It's functional yet stylish and could be the basis of something more elaborate over time. Importantly though, it is a bold statement of  exactly who this new Doctor is. Identity is important to the Doctor, whether developing his own or assuming that of another to defeat his opponents in his continuing quest to bring his own brand of humanity to the universe.

With that in mind, let's revisit our favourite Time Lord's ability to disguise himself in order to outwit his opponents. I should state at the outset this isn't a definitive list of every disguise the character has worn. Every Doctor has...

“This is a story of the battle of the Atlantic. The story of an ocean, two ships and a handful of men. The men are the heroes. The heroines are the ships. The only villain is the sea, the cruel sea that man has made more cruel.”

So begins Charles Frend’s film of the best selling novel of the same name by Nicholas Monsarrat. This opening statement, delivered in voiceover, tells us so much about the film we are about to watch and the film lives up to what promises are inherent in this opening so well.

The Cruel Sea is not a simple good vs. evil gung-ho war film featuring ‘our boys’ taking out Nazis in the middle of the Atlantic but a rich character piece made only eight years after the war it depicts and all the more powerful and reflective because of it. Interestingly, for instance,...

To celebrate the digitally remastered release of The Cruel Sea on 13th June, Optimum Home Entertainment have given us three copies of the film to give away on Blu-ray. The movie is directed by Charles Frend and stars Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden and John Stratton.

The novel The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monserrat was an unflinching portrayal of life at sea during WWII on a boat tasked with protecting convoys and seeking and destroying U-boats. A runaway success, the novel had already sold over 4 million copies in just 2 years when Ealing decided to make the film version. Filmed aboard an actual Royal Navy corvette, The Cruel Sea tells the story of the sailors aboard the Hms Compass Rose: the bonds that form between them, the daily pressures they face and their epic struggle to overcome the enemy. Nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Film, The Cruel Sea stars Jack Hawkins,...

How many times have you been promised the world but have never received the goods? Like the time that you were promised an a la carte menu in your local restaurant – when in fact all you received was a tiny plate of pretentiously-assembled food that wouldn't satisfy a hamster (all to the tune of £50-plus prices of course). Or like when you're shown around a house that's supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime palace and it turns out to be the sort of hovel that you might see in an episode of Shameless. Heck, LordSirBaronDukeKingAlanSugar gets this on a weekly basis with The Apprentice, as a small army of incompetent wannabes promise the universe and a gaggle of ponies, but always end up failing to deliver. No wonder Sugar's face is in perpetual scowl mode.

So what happened?

In the long term, The Two Doctors didn't quite live up to its...