Gerard Butler is the King of Cool. If you’re making a pulpy, fun, action movie he’s probably going to be a good bet as a leading man, with his gravitas, grizzled face, and half-Scottish/half-American-ish accent.
Across countless thrillers, Gerard Butler has proved his no-nonsense ability to take down all manner of enemies, and some of his best movies of recent years include the brilliant disaster flick Greenland, the action movie Plane, and, of course, Olympus has Fallen and its two sequels. In the Has Fallen movies, Butler stars as the badass Secret Service agent Mike Banning.
In the series so far (which also includes London has Fallen and Angel has Fallen), Butler has starred opposite the legendary Morgan Freeman in his mission to protect various organizations from violent terrorists, and that inevitably leads to a lot of action. In fact, the Has Fallen series has become one of the most bankable, best action movie franchises around if you’re just looking for a straightforward blast.
Now alongside the upcoming TV spin-off Paris has Fallen (which stars Mathieu Kassovitz as Butler-equivalent Vincent), Butler’s returning to the cinema screens with a fourth installment in his series, which has been confirmed to be in active development by producer Les Weldon.
Speaking with Collider, Weldon was asked about the status of Butler’s franchise and shared that the next movie, Night has Fallen, was on the cards. Weldon also said that there could be more films after that too, but that the long-term future of the Has Fallen franchise would ultimately depend on box-office reception.
That’s music to our ears, because with Butler you almost always know that a new movie is going to be an enjoyable ride. He’s made some duds, yes (we’re looking at you, Geostorm), but also classics like 300, Greenland, and the underrated Law Abiding Citizen. And anyway, who could so no to another Morgan Freeman movie? Frankly, we’re happy to see the best Gerard Butler movie series continue for as long as possible.
For more action movie fun, check out The Expendables 4 review and our The Meg 2 review. You can also see what’s going on with Prime Video’s Reacher season 2, and learn about how one of Butler’s movies once saw him injured by acid. If that’s not enough, see our picks for the best thriller movies of all time.