Will Gerard Butler return to the role of Agent Mike Banning? We take stock after the broadcast of the film tonight on TMC.
The Fall of the President , released in cinemas in August 2019, is the last feature film with special agent Mike Banning, played by Gerard Butler .
Before this film, the character broke from the villain in two other works: The Fall of the White House (2013) and The Fall of London (2016).
After assisting US President Allan Trumbull, played by Morgan Freeman , did Mike Banning retire?
In December 2020, Deadline announced that a new adventure of this super-agent would soon see the light of day. Entitled Night Has Fallen , this 4th film was to be directed by Ric Roman Waugh , already author of The Fall of the President.
Since the announcement of the project more than two years ago, we haven’t had any news! So we can deduce that Night Has Fallen was put away in a drawer on the production side.
After The Fall of the President, Ric Roman Waugh reunited with Gerard Butler in 2020 for Greenland . It looks like the two have decided to focus on the sequel to this action movie, titled Greenland Migration .
Currently in pre-production, this work will be shot shortly. It is one of the many projects in the pocket of Gerard Butler, who will be very busy in the coming years.
On IMDB ‘s side , Night Has Fallen disappeared from Butler and Waugh’s filmography; this is not a good sign, corroborating the fact that the work has been put on hold, or even simply canceled.
Gerard Butler surely had to sort through his proposals, judging that a sequel to the Mike Banning saga was perhaps not a priority, despite the 520 million dollars brought in by the super-spy internationally.
However, in November 2019, the producer of the saga, Alan Siegel , opened the door to several sequels and spin-offs around the franchise, on the big and the small screen. Asked by Deadline , he explained that he would like to introduce new characters, cross several lands and create a whole mythology in the style of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
We can only note that this sweet dream has not been cherished for very long, the project being visibly on hold since these declarations. Has the Covid-19 pandemic finally got the better of Mike Banning? Without a doubt.
GÉGÉ’S NEXT PROJECTS
The 52-year-old British actor will soon headline Criminal Squad 2 , Greenland Migration , Kandahar , and The Plane , directed by Jean-François Richet .
In this feature film, Butler plays Brodie Torrance, an airline pilot. Caught in a violent storm with his plane, the latter managed the feat of landing it on dry land.
But he will quickly discover that he is in a war zone. He and the passengers then find themselves taken hostage. Brodie is going to have to take matters into his own hands to get everyone out of this potentially deadly situation.
Plus, King Leonidas of 300 will soon meet the creator of the world’s most relentless hitman: John Wick ! According to Deadline , the comedian has been cast in Just Watch Me , a new action project from Derek Kolstad , screenwriter of the John Wick trilogy.
The film will be an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jeff Lindsay, known for having created Dexter in a literary series. The famous killer was then played on the small screen by Michael C. Hall.
In Just Watch Me, Gerard Butler will slip into the costume of Riley Wolfe, an ingenious thief and expert in disguises. He doesn’t hesitate for a second to resort to violence if anyone dares to get in his way.
A look back at 12 badass roles of Gerard Butler
The actor will also be the hero of Afterburn , a new feature film from The Villainess director , Byung-gil Jung . He will play a treasure hunter criss-crossing a post-apocalyptic Earth.
Another project currently in pre-production, Remote Control , will see Gerard Butler play a British corporate intelligence analyst. He will find himself embroiled in a conspiracy to destabilize the Chinese economy.
Suffice to say that with all the work that awaits the actor, we are not ready to see agent Mike Banning again anytime soon. Unless there is a turnaround!
In the meantime, you can find Gerard Butler on Prime Video in the action movie Last Seen Alive , available since August 1st.