Gerard Butler has apparently looked at his career, looked at “Die Hard,” and said, “Yes. More of that, please.”
And honestly? Same, Gerard. Same.
The Scottish action star, 56, is headlining the upcoming thriller “Empire City,” and the premise is so gloriously familiar it might as well have its own catchphrase and a matching white tank top.
According to our internet sleuthing and a post on awhile back on Deadline, the plot is straight out of an 1980s action movie playbook.
“When a hostage crisis breaks out inside New York’s landmark Clybourn Building, former Navy SEAL turned firefighter Rhett (Butler) must fight his way through the building floor by floor to rescue the captives.”
Yep. A lone(ish) hero. A big building. A city that needs saving. We’ve seen this movie before, and we will gladly see it again.
But wait, it gets even better. Butler’s character isn’t flying solo — his NYPD wife Dani, played by Hayley Atwell (“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”), is also in the mix.
If saving a skyscraper full of hostages isn’t couple goals, what is?
Oh, and standing in their way? Omari Hardwick (“Army of the Dead”), playing the film’s villain, Hawkins. Honestly, a Butler vs. Hardwick showdown might be all we need right now.
And that’s not all. Danny Huston (“The Naked Gun”) stars as Charles Clybourn, a wealthy heir whose ambitions mask a dangerous secret. Um, that sounds like the hostage situation is all his fault.
A tell-tale sign of someone who can never, ever be trusted is double finger guns…
The film is directed by Michael Matthews, the guy behind “Love and Monsters” — a movie about a dude navigating a post-apocalyptic world full of giant creatures, which is honestly just Tuesday for Gerard Butler at this point.
No release date has been announced, but “Empire City” already has us shouting “Yippee-ki-yay!”
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