January isn’t a month where studios tend to release big franchise films or movies that are expected to become franchise films. And yet, that’s apparently what has happened with the inventively titled Plane. The action movie starring Gerard Butler and Mike Colter is getting a surprise sequel, despite the fact that it’s barely made money. Even more surprising, the movie won’t star Gerard Butler, though it will have an equally impressive title. It’s being called Ship. No, really.
In news that I would honestly call an April Fools joke if it came out any closer to April, Deadline is reporting that Mike Colter is set to star in the movie Ship, which will follow his character from Plane, escaped convict Louis Gaspare. The new film is set to pick up immediately following the events of Plane, with Colter's character escaping the Philippines by ship, and finding a new situation to be dealt with.
It's a somewhat surprising bit of news because, while Plane received solid critical reviews, it has only grossed $43 million on a $35 million budget. When marketing costs are added one has to assume that if Plane has turned a profit, it's not much of one, though the movie's theatrical run isn't quite dead. When we see a sequel given the greenlight this fast it's usually following blockbuster box office business.
The most significant thing about the first movie seemed to be the decision to simply call the movie Plane, which, while not technically inaccurate, doesn't really give a potential viewer many details about what sort of movie it would be out of context. It seems, however, that the powers that be have decided that the simple titles are now part of the franchise brand since the sequel is literally being called Ship. One assumes, if this becomes a trilogy, we can look forward to the final movie, Train.
Part of the explanation may be that Ship has a strong possibility of being an even cheaper production than Plane. Gerard Butler isn't expected to play a major role in the sequel. He may appear, but won't be a main character according to the report. Perhaps he remembers the rough experience he had filming Plane. As such, whatever portion of the $35 million budget was his salary, may drop significantly, though new cast members are being sought.
According to the report, Ship will see Mike Colter's character stowaway on a ship bound for South Africa as he attempts to make his escape following the events in Plane. The rescue of the passengers, and the escape of accused murderer Gaspare, have made international news, requiring him to lay low. Unfortunately, he's chosen the wrong ship and finds himself on board a vessel involved in human trafficking.
While Plane hasn't blown the world away it was a solid little action movie that those that saw it seemed to like, so the odds are decent that we'll get something similar out of Ship.
