Gerard Butler may be preparing for the arrival of a comet, but that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten about saving presidents and catching bad guys.
Speaking to EW for the exclusive first look at their upcoming disaster thriller Greenland, the Angel has Fallen team of Butler and director Ric Roman Waugh gave an update on the future of the Fallen franchise, as well as a sequel to Butler’s criminally underrated Den of Thieves.
“I think with everything going on, we need him,” Butler said of Fallen hero Mike Banning, laughing. “He needs to come back.”
Butler went on to reveal that a fourth Fallen film is in the works. “Yeah, I think you will be seeing another,” he said. “We’re toying away with another really fantastic idea that we’re working on at the moment that obviously we can’t say too much about.”
While Butler has now worked with Waugh on three consecutive films (Greenland, Angel Has Fallen, and the recently announced Kandahar), the actor is also preparing to reunite with writer-director Christian Gudegast for a follow-up to their 2018 cops-and-robbers film Den of Thieves.
The crime drama starred Butler as Big Nick, a gritty cop determined to put an end to a string of heists conducted by an elusive crew, which featured memorable turns by Pablo Schreiber, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. The ending featured a Usual Suspects-type twist and set up a sequel focused on Big Nick tracking down Donnie (Jackson) in Europe.
“We’re working on that script at the moment, and I’m getting pages daily from Christian,” Butler revealed. “It’s a fun ride, spreading across North America into Europe and the diamond district of Marseilles. It’s very cool and has a more European vibe this time. All the fun characters, Big Nick, Donnie, and Lobbin’ Bob [Jordan Bridges], will be back. And I’m really excited about it.”
Greenland hits theaters Aug. 14.