‘Olympus Has Fallen’ sequel lands a new director

(CBR) Scandinavian director Babak Najafi will take the reins for “London Has Fallen,” the follow-up to 2013's surprise hit “Olympus Has Fallen,” Heat Vision reports. Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett and Melissa Leo on board to reprise their roles from the action thriller.

Najafi, who previously helmed two episodes of Cinemax”s “Banshee,” will replace Fredrik Bond, who departed the project earlier this month, citing creative differences. Najafi joins the sequel just as it prepares to begin the first half of principal photography. “London” will shoot for four weeks before breaking until February, when Butler – who is currently working on the feature film Geostorm – will join the production.

The “Olympus Has Fallen” sequel finds the new franchise”s hero trio traveling from Washington, D.C., to London to attend the funeral of the British prime minister. While across the pond, they”re unexpectedly caught in the middle of a terrorist plot to kill world leaders.

The “London Has Fallen” script comes from returning screenwriters Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, as well as Christian Gudegast.

“London Has Fallen” is scheduled to be released October 2, 2015.

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