Gerard Butler’s Has Fallen Franchise: Was It Quietly Cancelled?

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It’s been almost seven years since the last Has Fallen movie, and it seems like the series might be over. Though Gerard Butler has acted in many different types of films, his action movies have been some of his most successful.

As a huge action movie fan, I’ve noticed Gerard Butler really owns the space of those big, fun, slightly-over-the-top films these days – think everything from Law Abiding Citizen to Plane. He’s built a solid career on them! And he’s got a great franchise going with the Has Fallen movies, where he plays a Secret Service agent constantly jumping in to save the President – and usually the world – from disaster. It’s become his signature role, really.

After the release of Angel Has Fallen in 2019, a fourth film called Night Has Fallen was planned. However, we haven’t heard anything about it since, and it’s starting to seem unlikely that Gerard Butler will reprise his role.

It Sounds Like Gerard Butler Isn’t Returning For A Fourth Has Fallen Movie

Gerald Butler has been consistently working on films like Kandahar and Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. He’s also built a strong working relationship with director Ric Roman Waugh, and they’ve recently collaborated for the fourth time on the sequel, Greenland 2: Migration.

Director Antoine Fuqua previously worked on Angel Has Fallen and was scheduled to direct Night Has Fallen. However, in a recent interview with Polygon, Fuqua shared that while he and actor Gerard Butler would be interested in making a fourth film, plans for it are currently on hold.

We’d be open to making another film, but Jerry and I agree that we don’t want to just repeat what’s been done before. We’d need a really compelling idea to justify a new version, something that would develop my character, Mike Banning, further. I was even jokingly thinking of a scenario where an 87-year-old Morgan Freeman and I had a showdown – that would be entertaining! But honestly, there are no concrete plans for a sequel right now. We’d need to find a truly great concept before moving forward.

It appears the sequel to Olympus Has Fallen, titled Night Has Fallen, has been canceled without much public announcement, and Gerard Butler and director Babak Najafi are now working on other projects. A contributing factor to the delay may have been a legal dispute Butler filed against Millennium Films regarding profits from the first film. This lawsuit was eventually resolved in 2023.

The Has Fallen Franchise Has Moved To TV

Even though the legal issues with Olympus Has Fallen have been resolved, there haven’t been any updates about a new movie. Instead, Millennium decided to create a TV series called Paris Has Fallen, which was popular with audiences. The series follows two new characters fighting a dangerous terrorist in Paris.

The series Paris Has Fallen featured strong performances from Tewfik Jallab and Ritu Arya, along with lots of exciting action. Both actors are set to reprise their roles in a new season called Apollo Has Fallen, though a release date hasn’t been announced yet.

The Has Fallen series continues with a new TV show, but Gerard Butler doesn’t appear on screen. He’s a producer on the show, and while there was talk of his character, Mike Banning, making a cameo, that didn’t happen in the first season.

Gerard Butler Has Many Other Franchises To Focus On

Besides his role in the upcoming film Empire City – described as Die Hard set in the Empire State Building – Gerard Butler is known for franchises beyond the Has Fallen series.

I was really excited to hear that even though the second Den of Thieves movie didn’t make a ton of money, they’re already working on a third one! And I absolutely loved the live-action How to Train Your Dragon that came out in 2025 – it was fantastic! I’m so happy to hear Gerard Butler is likely to return as Stoick the Vast in a sequel, which should be out in 2027. I can’t wait!

If the movie Greenland 2: Migration does well, there’s a possibility that Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin could work together on another sequel. There’s also buzz about a potential spin-off related to the film Plane, playfully called Ship. However, it seems this spin-off will center around Mike Colter’s character, and Butler won’t be involved.

Angel Has Fallen Would Be A Great Ending, But I Want More

Image via Focus Features

Gerard Butler is currently busy with other work, so there are no plans to continue the Has Fallen series. He may be satisfied with ending the franchise after the third film, which was well-received and concluded the story of the main character, Mike.

The film concluded with a heartwarming reunion between the main character and his long-lost father, and he decided to leave his job as a Secret Service agent to prioritize his family. It was a satisfying ending for his story, and felt like a good way to wrap up the series. However, as a viewer, I’m hoping for more installments!

While Paris Has Fallen was enjoyable, it lacked the captivating presence of Gerard Butler. The Has Fallen movies were a consistently solid action series, and they played to Butler’s strengths perfectly. It seems like there’s definitely room for one last adventure where a retired Mike Banning is called upon to save the day again.

A future Has Fallen movie could explore the idea of Mike Banning becoming President, filling the time gap between films. While that might stretch the realistic feel of the series, it would be disappointing if we didn’t get to see Banning in one last adventure, especially if the franchise is ending.

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2026-01-12 00:42