MOVIE NEWS – Gerard Butler has landed the kind of mission that now feels almost built for him: this time, a World Cup event, his own family, and more than 70,000 spectators are all in danger. The Nest, a big-budget action thriller from the Thunder Road team behind John Wick, is heading to the Cannes market with a hefty price tag attached.
Gerard Butler has his sights set on another large-scale project, and it is exactly the kind of life-or-death assignment the star of the Has Fallen franchise has been handling for years. The actor has joined a new action thriller built around an unlikely action hero who is forced to protect the biggest sporting event in the world. In Butler terms, that is not even an escalation anymore; it is almost the job description.
Deadline reports that Butler is set to star in The Nest, an upcoming action thriller from Thunder Road producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee. A director has not yet been announced, but the script was written by rising screenwriter Aaron Benjamin. His previous work includes another action thriller script led by Paula Patton and directed by Wade Eastwood, the second-unit director known for his work on the Mission: Impossible films. Black Bear will launch sales for The Nest at the Cannes Film Festival market later this month, with the project carrying a healthy $70-80 million production budget.
The Nest follows Butler as a sniper who is pulled into action when an anonymous threat forces him to race against the clock to save his family and more than 70,000 people attending the World Cup. It is not yet clear exactly how his sniping skills will help him save an entire stadium, but the premise sounds like a more action-driven version of Trap, with the hero placed at the center of the crisis rather than the suspect. Add a little Phone Booth tension to that setup, and The Nest could become one of Butler’s more exciting original action projects in recent memory. The actor has also been on a strong sequel run lately, including Den of Thieves 2: Pantera and Greenland 2: Migration.
Butler’s latest action venture is not the only recent project of his being shopped around Cannes. Before The Nest reaches theaters, he is also set to star in Empire City, a new action thriller co-starring Hayley Atwell from Avengers: Endgame and Danny Huston, who previously appeared with Butler in Angel Has Fallen. The film wrapped production earlier this year, although its theatrical release date remains unclear. Empire City has been described as a Die Hard-style thriller, with Butler fighting his way out of a fictional New York City high-rise.
Meanwhile, another Butler vehicle has been shut down after the actor’s unexpected departure. He had been set to appear in Ship, the sequel to Plane, which would have starred Mike Colter in the lead role. Colter confirmed back in February that the film was canceled two weeks before filming after Butler decided not to return for the follow-up. That is disappointing for anyone hoping to see Plane turn into a full franchise, but Colter’s next action turn is not far away: he is set to return as Luke Cage in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, which is now filming in New York City.
Leave a Reply