It received a mixed critical response upon release earlier this year, but a plentiful box office return has encouraged studio bosses to finance a sequel for political thriller Olympus Has Fallen.

Gerard Butler will reprise his role as US Army Ranger Mike Banning in follow-up London Has Fallen after plans to develop the film were given the green light by production house Millennium Films.

Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman are also resurrecting their respective roles as US President Benjamin Asher and Speaker of the House Allan Trumball when principal photography kicks off next May. Second coming: Gerard Butler will reprise his all action role as US Army ranger Mike Banning in London Has Fallen, the sequel to box-office hit Olympus Has Fallen Chaos: The White House was attacked by North Korean guerrillas in Olympus Has Fallen

The forthcoming film will see the action shift across the Atlantic to London, where all three characters are attending the funeral of the British Prime Minister.

Producers hope to match the surprising return grossed by Olympus Has Fallen following its global release in March.

The Antoine Fuqua directed film yielded a sizeable $98.9 million across the United States and $62.1 million in overseas markets, giving it a combined total of $161 million against a comparatively low $70 million budget. Brothers in arms: Gerard Butler as Mike Banning, and Aaron Eckhart as President Benjamin Asher - both will return in the forthcoming sequel, with filming set to begin next May

That figure was all the more surprising given the lukewarm reception it was afforded by critics, with aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes describing it as ‘…far from original, but Olympus Has Fallen benefits from Antoine Fuqua’s tense direction and a strong performance from Gerard Butler – which might just be enough for action junkies.’

Butler’s character spends much of the first film engaged in battle after North Korean guerrillas launch as assault against the White House – but despite his prominence, the 43-year-old actor felt slightly envious of the less physical role played by co-star Freeman.

‘To be honest, I was very jealous the week that Morgan arrived because literally this excitement came over the whole set,’ he told iamrogue.com.

‘It was amazing to watch.  And I really wished I had been involved in those scenes; it would’ve been great to be in. Bullets galore: Fans can expect to see more scenes like this when sequel London Has Fallen makes it to cinema screens Welcome back: Morgan Freeman will also return as Speaker of the House Allan Trumball

‘A lot of my favorite stuff in this movie is what happens in the crisis room.  It’s so incredibly great to go in and experience what it is those people do that we don’t know when this happens.  On 9/11 we were saying, ‘Where is the President?  Who’s making decisions?  What’s happening?’

‘Here, you realize, and this is why it was great to have this incredible cast to really humanize these characters and see the decisions they have to make and that they’re real people who happen to make split-second decisions that will affect the planet.’

The forthcoming sequel will be penned by Olympus Has Fallen screenwriters Katrin Benedikt and Creighton Rothenberger – but Fuqua will not return as director. Quite a pair: Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart attend a photo-call for Olympus Has Fallen in Rome
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