Butler Plays the Game

I always thought Gerard Butler would make a good James Bond. He's no fool. Word is, he knows he's scored with 300, and he's willing to raise his price by playing the Snake Plissken role made famous by Kurt Russell in John Carpenter's iconic Escape from New York. (I was on the set of that movie. I'll never forget the late great producer Debra Hill boating a group of us over to Liberty Island one night to watch the filming.) Butler can write his own ticket. He's a brainy, well-trained, versatile actor who can play a romantic lead (see Dear Frankie) or an action hero (300). Phantom of the Opera wasn't his fault; no one could have carried that mess. Coming up next is the thriller Butterfly on a Wheel, and he stars opposite Hilary Swank in Richard LaGravenese's romantic mystery P.S. I Love You. It remains to be seen if Butler will go forward with the Euro indie adaptation of Therese Raquin.