Aching to be Fuqed...
Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Shooter) has been searching for a follow-up project to Brooklyn’s Finest for a few years now and hasn’t had much luck. He was attached to The Tomb when it was still a Bruce Willis project [Stallone & Arnold now star]. He flirted with Prisoners when DiCaprio was involved [Hugh Jackman is the latest on board]. He was also pretty gung-ho about an adaptation of Consent To Kill, potentially starring Gerard Butler at the time, before the studio decided to toss it on the backburner and adapt the prequel novel American Assassin instead [which is going nowhere at the moment].
Beyond those projects is a laundry list of scripts that have yet to make it out of development hell. The Eminem-starring boxing tale, Southpaw. Another Gerard Butler-intended actioner, Afterburn. A Tupac biopic. Chicagoland, a period piece gangster flick. The 24 movie that will have to wait for Kiefer’s next hiatus, if it ever actually happens and Tony Scott doesn’t snake the project out from under Antoine. Hunter Killer was the most recent he had been circling. Yet again intended to star Gerard Butler, with Sam Worthington in tow, the action-thriller seems to have hit a wall. Production was original planned for Fall 2011 and then pushed back until early this year. Needless to say, it doesn’t look like it will be making that December 2012 release date……..if it ever gets made at all.
The latest project to catch Fuqua’s eye is Olympus Has Fallen, another “Die Hard in the White House” script that actually predates the similar-themed White House Down project that Roland Emmerich is circling. The Nu Image/Millennium production is kicking into high-gear so they can beat the rival Emmerich project to the punch and is looking to shoot in June. I guess Fuqua has finally said, “FUQ IT!” and is jumping on a sure thing this time*. By the way, Olympus Has Fallen is produced by and stars……you guessed it…..GERARD BUTLER! I smell bromance**.
The film revolves around an ex-Secret Service agent saving the President from a siege on the White House. Yippe-ki-yay, MotherButler!
"Happy birthday, Mr. Fuqua. Happy birthday, toooo yooooou!!!"
Source | Deadline, The Playlist
* – Given his hard on to work on SOMETHING soon, if this falls apart, I’ll be shocked if his name doesn’t come up for both Catching Fire and Captain America II. And if it does, expect him to bring ole Gerry along with him. Butler must be Antoine’s girl with green eyes.
** – In all seriousness, it will be nice to see Gerard Butler escape the lame drama/romcom funk he’s been in for awhile. Time to blow some shit up, Gerry!