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Gerard Butler Rounds Up His Cast for 'Machine Gun Preacher'
by Alex Billington
May 8, 2010
Source: Deadline
Most of you may not remember hearing about a film called Machine Gun Preacher in December, but it's back in the news again. Deadline reports that Lionsgate has decided to develop and distribute the film and given them a greenlight to start shooting this summer. Gerard Butler will star as Sam Childers (center), a drug-dealing biker who found God and became the scourge of rebel forces who kidnap children in Africa. Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster is directing this and he has also cast Michelle Monaghan as Childers' wife and Michael Shannon (The Runaways) as a friend who cared for her while Sam was gone.
The film is inspired by the real-life story of Sam Childers (aka the "Machine Gun Preacher"), who went to Africa in 1998 to build an orphanage to house 300 children. He had to stay there and run an armed militia to protect the kids and thwart other kidnappings by the rebels under the command of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army. The screenplay is currently being written by newcomer Jason Keller based off of Childers' own memoir Another Man's War: The True Story of One Man's Battle to Save Children in the Sudan. This sounds like an inspirational and interesting story that should make for a great film, especially with Butler leading the way. We'll be looking forward to hearing more about this as they start preparing for production.
11 Comments
1
if this is an inspirational and interesting story based on childers efforts in africa - it could be VERY good. if it turns into more of story that revolves around a love-triangle between childers; his wife and friend?.......then it'll be a HUGE disappointment.
beavis on May 8, 2010
2
@1 thats exactly what I was thinking, here's to hoping that the love triangle never appears
Sharlto on May 8, 2010
3
With the name Machine GUn Preacher, I was hoping it'd be a action film like Hobo with a Shotgun or Machete, that'd be awesome.
The_Kid on May 8, 2010
4
Cannot stand Forsters directing, I was interested until I saw his name attached.
Cody w on May 8, 2010
5
#3, i hope the initial trailer for this film looks a whole lot better than the "hobo" teaser.
beavis on May 8, 2010
6
Gerard Butler? Hack .... city. The guy who does retread movies like "The Ugly Truth" and "The Bounty Hunter" is now going to do a serious turn as an actor in a drama? Not so sure about that.
Jason Roberts on May 8, 2010
7
I hate Gerard Butler. I really do. It took a minute or so after a few 300 viewings to realize this... but I do not take him seriously in the least.
Cracky on May 8, 2010
8
Butlers a good actor, if you dont think so then you havent seen Law abiding citizen.
Cody w on May 8, 2010
9
Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon for the win, with those two involved I'll be seeing this film. Monaghan has become one of my favorite actresses if you haven't seen her film Trucker I urge you to go get it right this moment. As for Butler I like the guy just not the movies he's been doing since 300.
CLAW on May 9, 2010
10
Quantum of Solace was terrible. I don't know if that's entirely Forster's fault, but it does leave me wary of anything connected with him.
Craig on May 9, 2010
11
For an in-depth look at Joseph Kony and the LRA see the book, First Kill Your Family: Child Soldiers of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army.
Peter on May 9, 2010
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