PLANE Sequel SHIP Scrapped After Gerard Butler Pulls Out “Last-Minute”
It looks like the turbulence isn’t over for fans of Plane. A sequel titled Ship was in the works at Lionsgate, but the project has now been grounded for good.
According to co-star Mike Colter, the decision came down to Gerard Butler, who reportedly backed out just weeks before production was set to move forward.
Colter opened up about what happened in an interview with The Direct, saying, "It just, last-minute, Gerard [Butler] decided he didn’t want to go forward with it and there wasn't a lot of discussion about it.
“He just… two weeks out, he pulled out and we were sort of left trying to figure out what to do. And eventually, that dissolved."
That’s not the kind of update fans were hoping for, especially after Plane carved out a solid fanbase when it hit theaters in January 2023.
Directed by Jean-François Richet, Plane followed Butler as commercial pilot Brodie Torrance, who’s forced to make an emergency landing after lightning strikes his aircraft.
What starts as a survival situation quickly turns into something far more intense when Torrance and his passengers find themselves stranded in a remote region of the Philippines controlled by armed anti-government militias.
To survive and escape, Torrance reluctantly teams up with Louis Gaspare, a convicted murderer played by Colter, who was being transported on the flight.
The mid-budget action thriller struck a chord with audiences. Made for around $25 million, it pulled in $75 million worldwide and earned generally positive reviews. That was more than enough for Lionsgate to fast-track a sequel in February 2023.
The follow-up, Ship, was set to shift focus to Colter’s character, picking up after the events of the first film. Early reports indicated that Butler would only appear in a cameo role this time around, not headline the movie. Which makes the cancellation even more puzzling.
But there’s a key detail here. Butler wasn’t just starring in the original film. He was also producing through his G-BASE banner. According to the report, that gave him final say on whether the sequel would move forward. So when he decided he didn’t want to continue, that was pretty much it.
Colter had been ready to dive back in. He shared, "The script. Basically picking up where we left off, what happened to that character, and how'd he get off the island. That was where we were gonna go with it. So, I was excited about it."
It sounds like there was a clear direction and real momentum behind the sequel. Unfortunately, without Butler’s involvement at the executive level, the project couldn’t stay afloat.
For now, Plane remains a standalone survival-action flick that delivered exactly what it promised: a gritty, contained thriller with Butler doing what he does best. As for Ship, it looks like that voyage has officially been canceled before it ever left the dock.