Popov, Duško Popov: Nicolas Cage Plays the Serbian Spy Who Inspired James Bond

Nicolas Cage introduces himself in the trailer as “Popov. Duško Popov”, orders a vodka martini “shaken, not stirred”, and appears beside a hotel room number whose fallen 8 makes it look like “007”. The references leave little doubt about the James Bond connection.

The film, Fortitude, is Simon West’s ambitious Second World War thriller about one of military history’s most complex deception operations. Nicolas Cage stars alongside Matthew Goode, Ed Skrein, Ben Kingsley and Michael Sheen. The production describes the movie as an action-adventure historical drama based on true events surrounding Operation Fortitude.

Cage does not use a Serbian accent, the article notes, although a first-rate spy would be expected to conceal his origins. The real Duško Popov came from a wealthy Serbian family. He was a gambler and womanizer who spoke several languages and became one of the most successful double agents of the Second World War, according to the BBC.

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shaken, not stirred

In the early 1940s, a friend working for Germany’s military intelligence service, the Abwehr, approached Popov. The Nazis wanted someone capable of infiltrating British society. They did not know that Popov strongly opposed Nazism. He immediately contacted the British and offered his services, taking the codename “Agent Tricycle”.

Popov later operated in Portugal while posing as a wealthy businessman, where he met Ian Fleming, then an officer in British naval intelligence. The two shared fine food, cocktails and hotel casino evenings. Popov recalled in a 1975 BBC interview that he had led an exciting life that seemed taken from a novel. British intelligence used him to pass convincing false information to his Nazi handlers.

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The means used in espionage are not exactly ethical. Lies, betrayal, blackmail, violence, sometimes even murder. But all of us dreamed of getting rid of Hitler. Winning that war was such a great goal that I do not think I ever considered doing something immoral. It saves lives.