The absolutely bonkers-sounding Geostorm may be about to transform from a Gerard Butler sci-fi actioner into a star-studded sci-fi blockbuster. Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas), Abbie Cornish (Limitless), Ed Harris (A Beautiful Mind) and Andy Garcia (The Godfather Part III) are reportedly all in talks for major roles in the pic, which aims to blend elements of a political thriller and an effects-heavy disaster epic.
Butler stars as a gruff but likable satellite designer who, after the world’s climate-controlling satellites malfunction, is forced to team up with his estranged brother (Sturgess) to save the world from a man-made storm of epic proportions. However, as the designer heads into space, his brother discovers a nefarious plot to assassinate the president and plunge the world into even deeper chaos.
If they come aboard, Cornish will play a Secret Service agent, the girlfriend of Butler’s protagonist. Harris will play the secretary of state – based on that actor’s filmography, how much do you want to bet that character is up to no good? Meanwhile, Garcia will take on the role of the U.S. president.
Warner Bros. and Skydance are behind the project, which hails from first-time writer-director Dean Devlin, whose script was reworked by Kieran and Michele Mulroney. It all sounds totally nuts, but if Geostorm is played with a modicum of self-aware humor, it could be a nice change from the humorless, gritty thrillers one often finds at the box office. Sadly, Butler isn’t exactly known for imbuing his action hero roles with much levity, but he’s been gifted with a stellar supporting cast, so it would be premature to count Geostorm out.
Cameras roll in New Orleans this October, with Warner Bros. and Skydance aiming to release Geostorm sometime in 2016.