In 2006, Nicolas Cage was shooting “the weirdest movie I’ve ever made”. Then a military coup made it even weirder

Nicolas Cage was filming *Bangkok Dangerous* in Bangkok in 2006 when a military coup began nearby, briefly putting the cast and crew in a potentially dangerous situation. The episode made an unusual production story, especially because the film’s plot involved a hitman refusing to assassinate Thailand’s prime minister.

Cage said the crew were shooting an action scene about a block away when the coup started and were warned that firing their guns could prompt a response. The coup ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on 19 September and was reported to have caused no fatalities. Released in 2008, the film opened at number one in the US with $7.8 million, but did not recoup its production budget in cinemas.