“Machine Gun Preacher,” a new Gerard Butler movie, has been approved for the state’s film incentives and is expected to begin shooting here this summer.
Based on a true story, it stars the versatile Scottish actor as a former drug-dealing biker who finds religion and goes on a crusade to rescue Sudanese children forced to serve as soldiers, according to IMDB.com.
Actress Michelle Monaghan will play his wife.
The film will be helmed by Marc Forster, who directed Daniel Craig as James Bond in 2008’s “Quantum of Solace” and Halle Berry in her Oscar-winning role in 2001’s “Monster’s Ball.”
Preproduction is under way in metro Detroit and surrounding areas, according to producer Craig Chapman. He says filming will take place in Michigan and South Africa.
“It’s an entertaining movie first, but we feel people are going to walk away with a pretty strong message,” says Chapman, who’s familiar with the Detroit area — he also was a producer of “Highland Park,” which was made here last year.
Chapman says he likes the people and environment of Michigan, a state that offers filmmakers a variety of looks, location-wise, as well as tax breaks.
“For what we do creatively, it’s a nice canvas to paint on,” he says.