Gerard Butler In 'Machine Gun Preacher'

[matrix_ghost]

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/

Gerard Butler In 'Machine Gun Preacher'

While some actors would capitalize on a box office hit like Law Abiding Citizen by seeking the biggest payday in the marketplace, Gerard Butler is going a different way. He has teamed with director Marc Forster to tell the story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who've been kidnapped and pressed into duty as soldiers.

Butler wants to play Childers in Machine Gun Preacher, which Forster will direct from a script he developed with screenwriter Jason Keller. After watching an NBC Dateline news story on Childers' crusade, producer Robbie Brenner and Keller tracked him down to secure the rights to his memoir Another Man‘s War: The True Story of One Man‘s Battle to Save Children in the Sudan. Childers’ response, according to insiders, was something like, “Who the hell are you, and why the **** should I trust you with my life story?” Raised by a tough ironworker father and taught to be a brawler with a hatred of bullies, Childers emerged from a dead-end future to become a preacher who found some real bullies to battle. Moved by the stories of the atrocities committed by rebels under the command of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army, Childers established an orphanage to house 200 children, then formed a militia to protect them, recover other kidnapped kids, and dispense outlaw justice on their captors. The Keller script was developed independently with funding from Gary Safady's and Craig Chapman’s Kaushi Entertainment. (Safady is a real estate entrepreneur.) Forster and his Apparatus partner Brad Simpson are producing with Brenner, Deborah Girratana, and the Kaushi duo.

Working with Forster who's known for coaxing good performances out of actors (i.e. Monsters Ball), Keller turned in a script that hooked Butler who wants the chance to show some acting chops to go with his 300 brawn. If he has his way, Machine Gun Preacher will start production later this year. The package is now being shopped for production financing by CAA and Management 360.

Keller is an up and coming writer who recently turned in a draft on the Fox film about the 1960s rivalry for sportscar supremacy between Ferrari and Ford, Race to the Death. Forster is attached to several projects -- The Chancellor Manuscript, and the zombie saga World War Z with Brad Pitt at Paramount, and Angelology at Sony.

 

[Wolfwood]

Wow, that guys sounds incredibly badass. What a fantastic life story.

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=65827

Monaghan and Shannon Joining Machine Gun Preacher

Source: Deadline New York
May 8, 2010

Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon are joining Gerard Butler in Lionsgate's Machine Gun Preacher, to be directed by Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) starting this summer.

Butler plays real-life hero Sam Childers -- the one man fearless enough to fight a ruthless army outnumbering him 1,000 to 1. The fierce edge that once led Childers to a life of crime now fuels his daring crusade into Africa's most dangerous battle zones to rescue children from the clutches of rebel warlords. His mission is clear: protect the children, no matter the cost.

Monaghan will play Childers' wife, Lynn, while Shannon is in talks to play a close friend of Childers.

The script was written by Jason Keller from Childer's memoir "Another Man's War: The True Story of One Man's Battle to Save Children in the Sudan."

 

[Bim]

This sounds cool, i'll keep my eye on it for sure

 

[The Avatar]

that sounds rather badass

 

[Nightmare]

Sounds good, i like Michelle Monaghan

 

[Dr. Evil]

Now this is the Gerard Butler I want to see, and not the leading man in horrible romantic comedies.

 

[Octoberist]

Gerald Butler NOT in a bad ROM COM? how can that be?

He has a weird career. He'll do a good movie, then he'll do 2 bad rom coms

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.latinoreview.com/news/first-look-photo-from-machine-gun-preacher-14281

[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/11/machinegunpreacherphoto.jpg/]
[/URL]

 

[Project862006]

i am hearing really good things about butler in this movie

 

[DoomsdayApex]

I hope the film doesn't spend half the time talking about God. This movie has so much potential.

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.latinoreview.com/news/poster-for-machine-gun-preacher-14477

 

[Bim]

Looking forward to this

 

[Spider-Who?]

I hope the film doesn't spend half the time talking about God. This movie has so much potential.

In a movie where a mans faith in God changes his life so drastically is going to have some amount of religious undertones and gasp, even discussion. To expect or even hope that it doesn't would completely go against this dudes story. It's okay, your ears aren't going to bleed if God is mentioned in a story about a preacher.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

In a movie where a mans faith in God changes his life so drastically is going to have some amount of religious undertones and gasp, even discussion. To expect or even hope that it doesn't would completely go against this dudes story. It's okay, your ears aren't going to bleed if God is mentioned in a story about a preacher.

That is expected. However, many films nowadays decide to use a religion's philosophy as a foundation for a 'storyline'. It's irritating.

No, they won't. I just hope this film doesn't turn into a 2-hour sermon. I want the story to focus on Sam Childers and his transformation.

 

[Project862006]

Official Trailer

 

[Hunter Rider]

Official Trailer

We had a discussion about Butler the other day but I have to say his accent seems good here and the performance looks strong, The film itself also looks excellent, very powerful stuff.

 

[MadVillainy]

Looks great

 

[Liam_H]

Like everyone has said so glad he's not doing another rom-com. The guy wants to be a megastar by becoming the next George Clooney but he just can't pull it off.

 

[WildcatNC]

This looks fantastic. Will definitely be checking this out.

 

[misjuevos]

i thought he was choking on his accent. i couldn't tell what accent he was doing.

 

[MadVillainy]

Is it true that BUtler is getting some Oscar buzz for this? I saw someone on here say he was

 

[Hunter Rider]

Is it true that BUtler is getting some Oscar buzz for this? I saw someone on here say he was

Project862006 said he was.

 

[Project862006]

many sites are saying it
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...cher_from_lionsgate_in_hope_of_getting_gerar/

http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2011/...g-oscar-push-for-upcoming-machinegun-preacher

 

[Wolfwood]

I've been waiting for this trailer for a long time now and it looks fantastic. I don't know if Gerard would get an Oscar nod, but I have a feeling the movie or the director might.