Gerard Butler is an international action hero, so you probably won’t be surprised to learn that he’s set to star in the international action thriller Remote Control, which will mark his third picture with STX following Den of Thieves and the upcoming Ric Roman Waugh film Greenland.
Two-time Oscar nominee John Mathieson, who earned his cinematography nominations for shooting Gladiator and Butler’s own Phantom of the Opera, will direct from a script by Mark Burnell, who also wrote the novel upon which Remote Control is based.
Per STX, Butler will play Michael Rafter, “a former war correspondent turned corporate security consultant, whose life is overturned when he receives a mysterious phone call from an unknown source. Intrigued by the caller’s intent, Rafter investigates and soon uncovers the threads of a global conspiracy, finding himself drawn into a fight for his life and pursued by the 212, a powerful shadow organization. Rafter soon discovers he has been targeted and framed as the notorious international assassin, Julian Irving. With his own identity erased, Rafter turns to the only person he can trust — his former lover, Tracy, who is also implicated in the conspiracy. Now on the run together, they must stay ahead of the 212, the CIA and a team of professional assassins, and unravel the mystery while trying to stay alive.
Ashok Amritraj will produce through his Hyde Park Entertainment Group alongside Butler and Alan Siegel of G-Base Entertainment. Executive producers are Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for Eon Productions, Priya Amritraj and Addison Mehr for Hyde Park, and Danielle Robinson for G-Base.
“As a producer and a star, Gerard Butler continues to be an extraordinary partner, [and] this is the kind of high-stakes action story that he does best,” said Adam Fogelson of STXfilms, which will introduce Remote Control to international buyers at EFM this week. “[It’s] a thrilling, action-packed story that is very timely for audiences around the globe,” added Amritraj.
Butler is coming off of Angel Has Fallen, the third film in the hit Fallen franchise, which has grossed more than $522 million worldwide. He also starred in Zack Snyder’s blockbuster 300, and voiced one of the leads in the popular How to Train Your Dragon franchise, which has collectively grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide.
Butler next stars opposite Morena Baccarin in Greenland, which follows a family struggling to survive in the face of a cataclysmic natural disaster. He’s also slated to reprise his role as Big Nick in a planned sequel to the 2018 crime movie Den of Thieves. He’s represented by CAA and Alan Siegel Entertainment.
In addition to Gladiator, Mathieson also served as the cinematographer on James Mangold’s Logan and Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.LE. He’s repped by Independent Talent Group, which Burnell is repped by David Higham & Co.
Remote Control isn’t the only action thriller Butler is attached to star in and produce, as he’s also preparing a movie called The Plane for takeoff. Click here to read more about that project.