FilmDistrict Acquires U.S. Distribution for Antoine Fuqua’s OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, Starring Gerard Butler; Film to Open April 5th, 2013

It looks like Antoine Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen will get a chance to take down the White House before Roland Emmerich’s White House Down as it is now slated to open first by about three months.  Starring Gerard Butler as a disgraced Secret Service agent called back to duty when terrorists take over the White House, Olympus Has Fallen will star Aaron Eckhart as the President in Peril. (Emmerich’s film stars Channing Tatum as the heroic Secret Service agent with Jamie Foxx playing the President.)

Olympus Has Fallen also stars Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Cole Hauser, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell and Rick Yune and will open April 5th, 2013. Hit the jump to read the press release.

I’m thrilled that we’re going to have two “Downfall of the Presidency” pics in the first half of 2013.  A simple question remains: are you an Eckhart/Fuqua voter or a Foxx/Emmerich kinda citizen?  Whatever your decision, it’s your civic duty to get out there and vote one way or the other pay to see both films!

Here’s the full press release for FilmDistrict’s acquisition of Olympus Has Fallen:

FILMDISTRICT ACQUIRES US DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS FOR OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN STARRING GERARD BUTLER

Film to be released wide in the US on April 5, 2013

Los Angeles, October 26, 2012 – FilmDistrict announced today that it has acquired US distribution rights to Millennium Films’ OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman and directed by Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY). FilmDistrict plans to release the film wide on April 5, 2013.

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN is an action thriller starring Gerard Butler, a disgraced Secret Service agent who is called back to duty when the White House is taken over by terrorists.  The movie also stars Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Cole Hauser, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell and Rick Yune. 

The film is written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt and produced by Fuqua, Butler, Alan Diegel, Ed Cathell III, Danny Lerner and Mark Gill. The executive producers are Avi Lerner, Danny Dimbort, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, John Thompson and Heidi Jo Markel.

FilmDistrict’s Peter Schlessel stated, “Olympus is a great action thriller that will keep audiences guessing and on the edge of their seat.  Everyone at FilmDistrict is happy to be in business again with Avi, Mark and the team at Millennium and with a film starring Gerry Butler, who also stars in PLAYING FOR KEEPS.”