Looks like Hollywood’s gone endangered-president crazy this year, as two films that follow the storyline of a presidential hostage situation are currently in the works. And now it seems James Woods, Radha Mictchell and Cole Hauser are joining the party. But who will come out on top of the ultimate White House-off?
In the White corner: WHITE HOUSE DOWN. This appears to be the wagon that James Woods has jumped on, as reports say he’s currently in negotiations for the role of head of the presidential detail. The story follows a Secret Service agent, played by bronzed man-candy Channing Tatum, who is faced with the task of saving the President from a paramilitary group that storm the Whitehouse. Roland Emmerich is directing this one, hopefully getting the political thrillers out of the way quickly before starting on the sequel to classic alien lol-athon, INDEPENDENCE DAY.
In the other White corner: OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Gerard Butler as a former Secret Service agent who has to protect President Aaron Eckhart when the White House is invaded. Are you seeing a similar pattern here? Radha Mitchell is said to have signed up to play Butler’s wife and Cole Hauser his right hand man.
I’m swaying towards WHITE HOUSE DOWN at this early stage, purely because of it’s pretty impressive star line-up, (I neglected to mention Maggie Gyllenhaal playing an agent and Jamie Foxx getting his President on) but only time will tell.
OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN starts shooting next week and WHITE HOUSE DOWN next month.
Source: FirstShowing