Gerald Butler’s Mike Banning has dusted off his favorite suit and reloaded for his next high-octane mission, which will see the secret service agent seek out a terrorist threat in the UK capital for blockbuster sequel, London Has Fallen.
Now that Babak Najafi’s follow-up has been slated for an October release, Empire has served up our first look at the film. Showcasing Butler’s grizzled, quip-happy protagonist engaged in fisticuffs in the London underground – in fact, Skyfall fans will recognize the location as Charing Cross station – the maiden image is exactly what we expected from a unlikely film franchise that embraces its ludicrous set-up loud and proud.
“It’s a fun franchise,” Butler tells Empire. “You get to do a lot of really badass action, but it’s got its tongue firmly in its cheek.”
While Olympus Has Fallen focused on the action Stateside, Najafi’s sequel will drag the action into the UK capital where, following the abrupt death of the British Prime Minister, London finds itself under siege from a new terrorist threat. Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett and Melissa Leo will all return alongside Butler for the actioner.
London Has Fallen will bring the blockbuster series across the pond when it lands in theaters January 22, 2016.
The story begins in London, where the British Prime Minister has passed away under mysterious circumstances. His funeral is a must-attend event for leaders of the western world. However, what starts out as the most protected event on Earth turns into a deadly plot to kill the world’s most powerful leaders, devastate every known landmark in the British capital, and unleash a terrifying vision of the future. Only three people have any hope of stopping it: the President of the United States, his formidable Secret Service head (Butler), and an English MI-6 agent who rightly trusts no one.