Welcome to Gerard Butler Online - your source on the scottish actor, known in particular thanks to 300 (2006), in the role of King Leonidas, and The Phantom of the Opera (2004), in the role of The Phantom. Here, we provide fans with the best content on Gerard Butler, like HQ pictures, videos, interviews and articles. Stay around and always get informed on your favorite actor.
The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is a surprising Christmas mash-up that invites viewers to see what would happen if Santa Claus came across Lewis Carroll’s Queen of Hearts. The Hulu animated film is based on a 2019 book of the same name by children’s author Carys Bexington and stays true to that book’s art style in its telling of the story. It stars Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Solo: A Star Wars Story) as the Queen of Hearts, Simone Ashley (Bridgerton, Sex Education) as Alice, and Gerard Butler (How to Train Your Dragon, Olympus Has Fallen) as Saint Nicholas.
The animated Christmas movie marks a return by Butler to the world of musicals after a 20-year absence. Butler starred in a film adaptation of Phantom of the Opera that was released in 2004, and the spotlight hasn’t been on his singing ability since. The Plane star’s singing has been featured in the trailer for the movie, as has music by the movie’s songwriters Guy Chambers and Amy Wadge.
Screen Rant spoke with Butler about his work playing Santa in The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland. Butler shared what drew him to the role and discussed the difficulty of speaking in rhyme for the length of a feature film. The actor also reflected on whether he would ever actually don a Santa suit for a role, considering he will be bringing another of his animated characters to life in 2025’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon.
Screen Rant: 300 came out when I was a senior in high school, and my instinct after seeing that movie was to write, direct, and act in a musical adaptation called 300: The Musical, so it feels very fitting that I get to talk to you about a musical today.
Gerard Butler: No way. Do you want to see something that ties that up even more? The director of this movie, Peter Baynton, was a little bit obsessed with the link between Santa and Leonidas. He drew [a piece of art] for me while we were working together, and it says, “What is your profession? Ho, ho, ho,” So, that’s a good link right there.
Everybody knows Santa and has an idea of who Santa is. What does it feel like to take that on, and did you have a sense of knowing people had expectations?
Gerard Butler: Yes, I guess people have expectations of who they think Santa is, but then you look at movies coming out like Bad Santa, [and] it has become the thing to show Santa in the most unflattering or different ways possible. I also knew the Santa we were trying to create with this movie and the environment and the world that was going to be created in.
I read this and I immediately knew who he was, and I immediately knew what I could bring to that very strongly. I literally wanted to get up and perform it straight away. I went, “I hope there’s not a gap. I would love to just stand up, because I see this now. I want to see this line right now. I want to sing this right now.” I knew all the extra things and everything you could wring out of it—its silliness, its goofiness, its warmth, its love, and that zest that he has for life, [and] in how annoying he is because he can’t help himself.
So, I figured that that would be enough. I think people are going to get the kind of Santa that they’re seeing in this movie. He’s glam, he loves that he’s a rockstar, but ultimately he’s a good man who wants to do a good job and spread love in the world, which is the ultimate message. It felt like we could bastardize the characters enough but still keep you in the world of these fairytales enough to draw you back into them and go, “Oh God, that’s the Santa story, and that’s Alice in Wonderland,” and yet still be able to have this crazy collision between these two worlds and these different characters.
How did this come to you? Did you have any friends or extended family or anyone who encouraged you to take on this role that’s going to be so beloved to kids and families?
Gerard Butler: No. Weirdly, nobody encouraged me, because nobody had to. It came through a buddy of mine, Daniel B, who said, “By the way, my friend’s producing this. They’d love you to do it, but I don’t think they think you would ever do it.” And he said, “But would you have a look at this?” And the second I read it… there was nobody there saying, “You’ve got to do this.” It was actually quite the opposite, because when we looked at the dates, it seemed like there wasn’t a way in the world that I could do it.
I kept pushing and pushing and pushing to make sure that it happened, because it just stuck with me. Even when I thought it was gone, I’d say, “Wait, is that gone for sure? Is there anything we can do?” because it had touched something inside me. I thought, “I’ve got to tell that story. I’ve got to play that character,” knowing I’m making that movie that is for kids but [also] adults. I do believe, together with all of the animation and the music and the characters, that’s going to be a great little movie that I think people will really love and I’d be proud to be a part of.
It’s been literally 20 years since a lot of people heard you sing last. Phantom of the Opera was 2004. Was there a reason there was such a long break? Were you staying away from this for any reason?
Gerard Butler: No, not particularly. I do remember when Andrew Lloyd Webber was talking to me about playing the role of Phantom and he said, “Now, this is going to very much change your career. Your career is going to become much more musical.” I remember, one going, “This is amazing. I’m going to get to play the Phantom,” but also going, “I don’t think it’s going to change my career that much. I’m still going to stick foremost with acting.”
That’s not to say that I don’t regret sometimes that I didn’t do more musicals because I have to say, doing this, I forgot how much fun it is—especially if it’s something as fun as this. The music here was so great and Guy Chambers, the composer that did all Robbie Williams’ albums, [is] amazing. The songs that I was singing, the lyrics… all great. It was really fun to be dancing in a booth and recording these lyrics and singing, and it did make me think. Sonia Jones was such a great coach, and she kept going, “I can’t believe you don’t sing. I love listening to you sing. You’ve got to sing more.” I did say that I was going to take it up again. Maybe I will, so that if another musical does come along, I’m a little less rusty.
The wildest thing to me about this movie is that almost everything is spoken in rhyme. How do you deliver lines like that for the full length of a movie while sounding at all like a human? That seems hard.
Gerard Butler: I’m glad you said, that because, in actual fact, it is a little tricky. You could just dive into it—which, by the way, is what I wanted to do. I’m not saying that was the right way, because you’ve got to learn how much you can break the rules, how much you have to stay within the rules, and that you’re not going so far out to get a performance that you’re losing the musicality and the intonation and the rhythm of the piece. The meter.
I kept focusing on, “As quickly as you can, try and understand how much you can have fun and break the rules without breaking the rules so much that we’re forgetting that we’re all [speaking in rhyme.”] It was so cleverly written that you wanted to remind the audience all the time, “This whole thing has been written in rhyming couplets,” and I think that we did that. I think all the actors did that well.
There are so many unique elements that this movie has going for it between the music, the rhyming couplets, the look—it’s like the book just came to life—and that they’re fantastic characters [from] these two worlds meshing together. It has a lot of unusual things that come together quite beautifully.
You had another animated character come to live-action this year that you were shooting. Does this make you at all want to actually put on the suit and play Santa in something in the future?
Gerard Butler: It’s actually a good question because I know if they made this a movie, this would actually have to be a huge-budget movie just like what we did on How to Train Your Dragon. The budget was huge for that because you’re trying to now create a world. When you were animating, you went, “Well, we don’t have to worry, it’s just animated,” [and] then we had to build that world. But it could be a really fun movie. The thought of just putting on a Santa costume to go and do another Santa movie… no, not specifically. But with this, you never know. I don’t think they’re talking about it, but I had a lot of fun playing this guy.
St Nick receives a delayed letter on Christmas Eve from the Princess of Hearts. He and his dedicated team of reindeer set off to Wonderland where they’re greeted by the mean and miserable Queen of Hearts who hates all things Christmas… especially presents! Can St Nick, aided by Alice, the Mad Hatter and March Hare, show the Queen the true meaning of Christmas and save the day before it’s too late?
Everything We Know About Gerard Butler’s Den of Thieves 2 Everything We Know About Gerard Butler’s Den of Thieves 2 Over the course of his nearly 30-year career in film, Gerard Butler has staked his claim as one of the kings of the mid-budget action movie. The Scottish actor has been a mainstay on movie screens since his American breakout in 300 back in 2007, and while most of his movies are met with indifference from critics, he remains a solid box office draw, anchoring films that frequently outperform their modest budgets. But besides bigger franchises like How to Train Your Dragon or the trilogy of Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen, and Angel Has Fallen, few of them have warranted making a sequel, though that’s about to change with the upcoming Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.
Seiko Prospex Automatic Horloge SRPL15K1 – Zwart Ad Debijenkorf.nl Seiko Prospex Automatic Horloge SRPL15K1 – Zwart Pantera is a direct sequel to 2018’s Den of Thieves, an action-heist film that premiered in the notoriously sleepy January movie season, earning middling reviews but making $80 million on a $30 million budget. The first film stars Butler as Detective Nick “Big Nick” O’Brien, a hard-drinking Los Angeles cop hell-bent on stopping a crew of ex-marine bank robbers from robbing the Los Angeles Federal Reserve, leading to all manner of mayhem. While much remains to be seen as to how the sequel will be received, some details about its plot, cast, and release date have been announced. Here’s everything we know about Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.
Bi-Light Elektrische Warm Water Boiler 120 L Horizontaal Met Inbegrepen Installatieset, Muurmontage Ad bol.com Bi-Light Elektrische Warm Water Boiler 120 L Horizontaal Met Inbegrepen Installatieset, Muurmontage Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Release Date January 10, 2025
Director Christian Gudegast
Cast Stphane Coulon, Ignacio Herrez, Mark Grosy, John West Jr, Birol Tarkan Yldz, Yuri D. Brown, Antonio Bustorff, Rico Verhoeven, Yasen Zates Atour, Nazmiye Oral, Salvatore Esposito, Dino Kelly, Evin Ahmad, Ciryl Gane, Velibor Topic, Orli Shuka, Cristian Solimeno, Bob Jennings, Jordan Bridges, Swen Temmel, Gerard Butler, Meadow Williams, Michael Bisping, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’s Plot Little information has been officially released about Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’s plot, but we do know that it will pick up directly after the events of the first film, finding Butler’s Detective O’Brien attempting to track down Donnie Wilson (played by O’Shea Jackson Jr.), one of the bank robbers who managed to escape. While Wilson began the first movie appearing to be merely a getaway driver, he was revealed to be the true mastermind behind the heist by the story’s end, escaping to London and scoping out a diamond exchange as his next target.
Fietstas – Fietstassen Dubbel – Waterdicht – Fietstas Waterdicht – 40 L – Zwart Ad bol.com Fietstas – Fietstassen Dubbel – Waterdicht – Fietstas Waterdicht – 40 L – Zwart Based on the trailer that was released in September, Den of Thieves 2 will see O’Brien follow Wilson to Europe, where his new crew is preparing to rob the World Diamond Center, an even more high-stakes job than the LA Federal Reserve. But rather than taking down the one that got away, it seems that O’Brien and Wilson will form an uneasy alliance when O’Brien actually joins the heist. Whether O’Brien has truly taken up a life of crime or is just trying to get close to his target remains to be seen.
Related 300 Fans Will Enjoy This Underrated Fantasy Adventure Film Starring Gerard Butler 300 fans don’t have to look so hard to find something similar to watch. There’s another action-packed sword movie, which also stars Gerard Butler.
Den of Thieves 2’s Production Delays According to an oral history of the film’s trailer published by The Ringer, a sequel to Den of Thieves has been in the works since shortly after the first film’s release, with original director Christian Gudegast talking with Butler about making another installment. According to Gudegast, Butler wanted him to direct the 2023 film Plane before returning to Den of Thieves, but Gudegast decided to wait until they could reteam for the sequel.
The COVID-19 pandemic further delayed the project, and Butler’s busy schedule prevented the team from getting to work on the sequel until 2023, with principal photography taking place in the UK and the Canary Islands, according to The Hollywood Reporter. After several years of delays, the film was finally completed and given a release date of January 10th, 2025.
Related Why Gerard Butlers 20-Year-Old Musical Was So Divisive Joel Schumacher helped bring Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical The Phantom of the Opera to life, attracting both cheers and jeers.
Den of Thieves 2’s January Release Might Work in Its Favor January has notoriously been a tricky month for movie releases, coming right after the glut of big holiday premieres and prestige pictures vying for Oscar attention. The month has often been seen as a sort of dumping ground for films that studios expect to under-perform, either because they lose faith in the final product or didn’t have much faith to begin with. However, some films have managed to do well in spite of this inauspicious release date, particularly those that aim for uncomplicated entertainment rather than awards aspirations.
2008’s Taken was released on January 30th and ended up vastly outperforming expectations, earning a total global box office of $227 million against a budget of only $25 million, spawning a franchise and a late-career action star boost for Liam Neeson. More recently, 2022’s M3GAN saw release on January 6th and earned $181 million against an even smaller $12 million budget, also garnering critical acclaim and meme icon status for its titular killer robot, marking her as a new horror icon. On the less violent end of the spectrum, Paddington was released in the US on January 16th, 2015, and ended up earning $283 million worldwide against its $65 million budget, in the process earning raves and becoming a new family movie classic.
January films often have fewer expectations placed on them than summer blockbusters or holiday releases, and those lowered expectations can often be used to a film’s advantage, giving them the freedom to succeed or fail without the same pressure as their main season counterparts. It’s entirely possible that Den of Thieves 2: Pantera could continue the precedent set by its first installment, offering audiences some uncomplicated fun at the multiplex to break up the winter doldrums.
When Law Abiding Citizen was released 15 years ago, it developed a devoted fan base, one big enough to have the studio still talking about the possibility of a sequel. In the film, though, Gerard Butler wasn’t your typical action hero — in fact, he wasn’t much of a hero at all. The film’s story revolves around his character’s elaborate acts of revenge when he felt like the justice system hadn’t done its job properly, and he took the law into his own hands. But Butler thinks that’s exactly what attracted people to his character and the film: He was a man willing to do literally anything to get justice for his murdered wife and child. (Click on the media bar below to hear Gerard Butler
One of Gerard Butler’s most highly-rated action thrillers is now available to stream for free. Known for his roles in action-packed films like Olympus Has Fallen and its sequels, the crime thriller Den of Thieves, Plane, Greenland, 300, and more, the Scotsman has become a staple of the genre. But one of his lesser-known entries in the action thriller realm is also one of his most critically praised—and it’s now free to watch on Amazon Freevee.
Released in 2021, Copshop stars Butler alongside fellow action star Frank Grillo, with Alexis Louder, Toby Huss, and Chad Coleman rounding out the cast. Streaming now on Amazon Freevee, the film follows Butler’s hitman as he tracks Grillo’s enigmatic con artist to a small town, where the two end up locked in a jail cell together. The movie sits at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics hailing the action set pieces and Butler’s trademark charisma in the main role. Directed by Joe Carnahan, the director of action hits like Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team, The Grey, and Boss Level, the film also has an audience score of 74%. Here’s the official synopsis for Copshop:
Well, he’s a busy boy. First up is Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, where he reprises his role as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien. The sequel to the 2018 heist thriller is set for release on January 10, 2025. Butler is also returning to his disaster-film roots with Greenland: Migration, a follow-up to the 2020 hit Greenland, where the Garrity family navigates a post-apocalyptic world following a cataclysmic asteroid impact. Additionally, he’s set to play Secret Service agent Mike Banning again in Night Has Fallen, the fourth installment in the popular Has Fallen franchise.
In a change of pace, Butler stars in In the Hand of Dante, directed by Julian Schnabel and featuring an ensemble cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Al Pacino and Jason Momoa. The film mixes a 14th-century storyline with a present-day narrative involving a lost Dante manuscript. Finally, Butler is also stepping back into a fan-favorite role as Stoick the Vast in the upcoming live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon.
Copshop is streaming now on Amazon Freevee. Stay tuned to Collider for more on Gerard Butler.
Hulu has released the first trailer for The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland, the upcoming animated musical featuring Emilia Clarke and Gerard Butler. The film is slated to stream on Prime Video and Hulu on November 15 in the U.S.
Peter Baynton has directed the movie, which is a mashup of Lewis Carroll‘s Alice in Wonderland stories and Clement Clarke Moore’s poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The screenplay is written by Sara Daddy, which in turn is based on the bestselling children’s book by Carys Bexington. Guy Chambers and lyricist Amy Wadge penned the original songs.
According to the synopsis, The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland follows St. Nick after he “receives a delayed letter on Christmas Eve from the Princess of Hearts. He and his dedicated team of reindeer set off to Wonderland where they’re greeted by the mean and miserable Queen of Hearts who hates all things Christmas… especially presents! Can St Nick, aided by Alice, the Mad Hatter and March Hare, show the Queen the true meaning of Christmas and save the day before it’s too late?”
Onstage, Clarke appeared on the West End in a 2020 production of The Seagull. Butler previously appeared in the 2004 adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera as the title character. Simone Ashley has most recently been seen in the hit show Bridgerton, and also appeared in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
