'Angel Has Fallen' Release Date Will Fall In Summer 2019

Gerard Butler's violent Secret Service Agent Mike Banning will return yet again in Angel Has Fallen, the third film in the inexplicable franchise launched by Die Hard-rip-off Olympus Has Fallen. The action pic now has an official release date set in the summer of 2019, so get ready for more implausible mayhem as Butler blows stuff up all in the name of the United States of America.

You want it, you got it: Angel Has Fallen will crash into theaters August 23, 2019. The latest adventure of Mike Banning, a Secret Service Agent with really bad luck, involves Banning being framed for attempting to assassinate the President of the United States (played by Morgan Freeman). Meanwhile, terrorists are about to enact an attack on Air Force One. Jada Pinkett Smith, Lance Reddick, Nick Nolte, Danny Huston, Piper Perabo and Tim Blake Nelson co-star along with Butler and Freeman.

This film franchise launched in 2013's Olympus Has Fallen, which had Butler's character trying to stop terrorists who took over the White House. It was somehow one of two different "terrorists take over the White House" movies released that year – the other being Roland Emmerich's White House Down. But while White House Down had bigger names – Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx – it didn't do too well at the box office. Olympus Has Fallen, however, was a hit, grossing $170.2 million on a $70 million budget.

Olympus Has Fallen was followed by 2016's London Has Fallen, in which Banning attempts to foil a plot to assassinate all the world leaders attending the Prime Minister's funeral. It was an even bigger hit, raking in $205.9 million against a $60 million budget. Clearly, there's a market for this series, and Angel Has Fallen will probably do well.

For all its flaws, I enjoyed Olympus Has Fallen. It was an unapologetic Die Hard rip-off with surprisingly brutal violence. On top of all that, even though he tends to make crappy, trashy movies, I enjoy watching Gerard Butler run around acting like a tough jerk who beats the crap out of people. That said, I thought London Has Fallen was terrible, and needlessly xenophobic. I can only hope that Angel Has Fallen dials that back, and focuses more on the goofy action. And then I hope they make a fourth film where Mike Banning (what a boring name!) has to go to space. Call it The Moon Has Fallen, maybe. Just a thought.