Gerald Butler's Plane Sequel Brings Us From The Air To The Ocean With Ship
"Dracula 2000" and "300" star Gerard Butler is arguably the king of so-bad-they're-good action movies, having starred in over-the-top blockbusters for more than two decades now. When a trailer for "Plane" premiered in October of 2022, it seemed like just the sort of film on which Butler had built this reputation. In "Plane," Butler portrays a commercial airline pilot with a military background whose routine flight one day must make an emergency landing on a small island. There, Butler's character Brodie Torrance teams up with Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), a French prisoner charged with murder, to secure a safe exit for the rest of his plane's passengers from the island, which is run by a violent outlaw group.
At one point, Butler felt like he burned alive while shooting "Plane" as he recounted in a televised interview, describing a time he was covered in phosphoric acid in the midst of filming. The burning he described wasn't literal, but an overwhelming sensation caused by the acid. Audiences, it turns out, were receptive to Butler's commitment to his "Plane" role, earning it just about as much praise as possible for a popcorn action flick.
In fact, "Plane" was a big enough success that a sequel is now on its way, titled — because of course it is — "Ship."
Ship is like Plane with a new look
On February 13, just one month after "Plane" premiered in theaters, Variety confirmed that a sequel is now in the works, titled "Ship." Notably, "Ship" will differ from "Plane" in that Gerard Butler is not its focus, but rather, Mike Colter's character Louis Gaspare will star. Whether or not Butler is involved at all has yet to be detailed. Meanwhile, "Plane" director Jean-François Richet is returning as an executive producer, meaning that a new director will likewise helm the sequel film.
Gaspare's storyline in "Ship," Variety confirms, will kick off right where "Plane" left off, with Gaspare fleeing the first film's Jojo Island location. Soon, Gaspare ends up on a cargo ship headed for South Africa, attempting to evade renewed interest in his capture resulting from media attention surrounding the events of "Plane." Gaspare, however, figures out that his escape vessel is housing a human trafficking operation, and assembles a crew from among its shipmates dedicated to stopping the traffickers onboard.
From the sound of it, "Ship" is still in the earliest stages of production, attempting to secure international rightsholders as well as writers and a director. Its making is currently expected to kick off in the latter half of 2023.