In 2012 two different versions of the fairy tale Snow White will be released and there are currently two biopics about pornstar Linda Lovelace in the works. Hollywood is never afraid to show its pure lack of originality on its sleeve, but it's still upsetting when it gets this terrible. But do you want to know something even worse? Now there are two projects in the works that can both be described as "like Die Hard, but set in the White House."
Following news of Roland Emmerich being in talks to helm White House Down last week, THR is reporting that Training Day director Antoine Fuqua is in talks to direct Olympus Has Fallen, a new project with the above description. But while White House Down's news broke earlier, Olympus Has Fallen is actually in the lead. The trade says that Gerard Butler is already attached to star as a Secret Service agent who must work to defend the president when the White House is overtaken by a terrorist organization. Even though the project seems like its still in the early development stages, the truth is that Millennium Entertainment, the company behind the film, is fast-tracking it and is hoping to get the movie in front of cameras this June. First time writers Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt wrote the script, which Millennium bought back in March.
While this may sound like good news for the film, it's best not to count chickens before they hatch. Fuqua, who hasn't made a movie since 2009's Brooklyn's Finest, has an incredibly full plate, having recently completed filming on a movie about Yang Guifei; is currently filming a Suge Knight documentary; and has titles like Pablo Escobar, Hunter Killer, Storming Las Vegas and Ocean Beach in pre-production. That said, maybe Olympus Has Fallen is so good that it will rise to the top of the director's "must make" list.
