Gerard Butler is in talks to star in Empire State, a new action thriller movie from Den of Thieves’ Christian Gudegast.
Per Deadline, Butler is being eyed for the lead role in Empire State, a new movie helmed by Gudegast that’s headed to the Cannes Film Market later this month.
What is Empire State about?
“In Empire State, when the Empire State Building comes under attack by a military contractor hellbent on revenge, Navy SEAL turned NY firefighter Rhett (Butler) and NYPD Tactical officer Dani (yet to be cast) must put aside their relationship troubles as they work to rescue hostages and save the famous landmark,” Deadline’s description of the movie reads.
Butler starred in Den of Thieves, which was directed by Gudegast. The film was released in United States theaters in January 2018 and made approximately $80.5 million at the global box office off an estimated $30 million budget. A sequel, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, is currently in post-production and is expected to be released in 2024.
Gudegast was also a co-writer on 2016’s London Has Fallen, a sequel to 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen that saw Butler reprise his role as Mike Banning.
The script for Empire State was written by S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk) and Brian Tucker (Secret Invasion). Butler will produce the film alongside Alan Siegel and Marc Butan, while Quirin Berg and Alexander Janssen will serve as executive producers.
Along with Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Butler will soon be seen reprising his role as Stoick the Vast in the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon, which releases in June 2025. He’s also signed on to star in a sequel to 2020’s Greenland, Greenland: Migration, alongside Morena Baccarin.
A release date for Empire State has not yet been set.
