Gerard Butler White House actioner, Olympus Has Fallen, is getting a sequel. Yes, all of that cheesy dialogue, convoluted scenarios and beefcakery will be back in play for the follow-up, London Has Fallen. As the film is fast approaching the start of its shoot, we’ve got news of the first newbie added to the cast: Oscar-nominated actor, Jackie Earle Haley.
With Butler back as the U.S. Secret Service Agent who’ll do whatever it takes to prevent the war on terror and Aaron Eckhart reprising his role as the President, the main leads will understandably remain unchanged. The impressive roster of supporting actors from the original are also back to assist as the fight takes them overseas to London. This location change might lead one to assume that the first newest addition would be English, but Haley’s as American as they get!
The actor, who received an Oscar nod for his supporting turn in Little Children, will take on the role of Deputy Chief Mason. No further details on how big his part will be, or which side of the fence he’ll be on. To me, Haley’s finest turn was in the Nightmare On Elm Street remake. Even if he is on the side of the good guys, it’ll be difficult to not see him as the scarred menace from Springwood, Illnois.
Haley might be the first fresh face we’ll see onscreen, but he’s not the only newcomer to the project. After original helmer Antoine Fuqua bailed on the project, Scandinavian director Babak Najafi was rumoured to have come aboard. That’s now another piece of speculation we can confirm thanks to today’s report. Najafi will be tackling what sounds like a duplicated version of the original, simply transplanted to the UK.
This time around, Mike Banning (Butler), President Asher (Eckhart) and Speaker Allan Trumball (Morgan Freeman) find themselves embroiled in a terrorist plot while attending the British Prime Minister’s funeral. The basic storyline isn’t a million miles away from the original and even despite the fact that it sounds like a recycled Homeland plot, it’ll likely get people into theatres and possibly outperform the first outing at the box office.
London Has Fallen will open on October 2nd, 2015.