A little over a few hours since I wrote about Scottish actor Gerard Butler's hiring in The Untouchables: Capone Rising and news has come through of another role he has been tapped up for! Variety are telling us that the actor will star opposite Jodie Foster in the adventure movie Nim's Island. This is Butler's third big casting move in two days, after he also signed up for a role in the futuristic thriller Game on Thursday. Staring alongside Foster and Butler will be Little Miss Sunshine actress Abigail Breslin, which we first reported last month.
The storyline revolves around a girl who lives on a tropical isle with her father, a scientist whose boat runs into trouble one day, leaving the girl to fend for herself on the island. She begins emailing the author of the book she is reading, and with the author's help, is able to manage. The trio ultimately unites to save the island from careless tour companies.
Nim's Island is to be directed by the husband and wife team of Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin who brought us that dry Wimbledon comedy a couple of years back. Filming is set to begin in late July in Australia for an April release 2008. With Butler taking on movie roles left and right, does this mean that the Escape from New York remake has been scrapped or delayed? Surely the actor isn't going to be able to find the time to shoot that movie as his schedule seems pretty solid now for the next 10 months or so. Also, with rumblings about Watchmen filming soon... surely this role in Nim's Island would clash with that graphic novel adaptation, so maybe he won't be in that movie after all either.