The movie was based on the first novel of Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series and was intended to launch a franchise.

Director Geoffrey Sax told CultBox: “Unfortunately Stormbreaker just didn’t take off in America… The books aren’t as well known in America. There wasn’t the money to do a huge advertising campaign over there, so it didn’t make enough money.”

He continued: “As far as I know there are no sequels planned, which is a shame as I think it could have been a really good franchise.”

Speaking about Stormbreaker star Alex Pettyfer’s current success in Hollywood, with roles this year in I Am Number Four and Beastly, Sax added: “I’m not surprised. He’s very charismatic on screen and he looks great. As he’s grown older, I think the camera loves him even more than it did on Stormbreaker.”

Directed by Geoffrey Sax, BBC Two’s one-off drama Christopher And His Kind explores novelist Christopher Isherwood’s formative years in the run-up to the Second World War and aired last weekend.