Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart's action sequel London Has Fallen lost its director, Fredrik Bond, with production looming.
After the surprisingly robust success of last year’s Olympus Has Fallen, Millennium Films wisely moved ahead on a follow-up to the “terrorists take the White House” thriller with the aim of going global—and to London to be exact. With Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman all signed on to reprise their roles from the first down-and-dirty R-rated actioner, London Has Fallen had lured Charlie Countryman director Fredrik Bond on board. It appeared that it was time for anarchy in the UK, but much like a recent proposed vote of independence, expectations and celebrations were perhaps premature.
The Hollywood Reporter is now reporting that Bond has dropped out of the sequel due to “creative differences.”
It is believable that Bond, whose single feature to date is an indie dramedy starring Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood, might have disliked the fast-turnover expected for the sequel. After all, he was tapped to direct the picture in August and principal photography is set to begin next month.
However, with an October 2, 2015 release date still penciled in, this grueling schedule just became more daunting without a captain at the helm. It is reported that star Butler and producer Mark Gill hope to have a replacement director situated by Monday, however that may be a tall order.
With October 2015 still the due date, London Has Fallen stars Butler in the reprised role of Mike Banning, a secret service agent for the president (Eckhart), who travels with other western world leaders to Great Britain after the mysterious death of the prime minister. Of course, all hell then breaks loose. Angela Bassett and Melissa Leo are also expected to reprise their roles from the 2013 film.
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