Lionsgate has dropped distribution of the Gerard Butler-led action thriller “The Plane” over COVID-19 concerns.
Butler will portray a commercial pilot who, after successfully landing his storm-damaged aircraft in a war zone, finds himself caught between the agendas of multiple militias who are planning to take the plane and its passengers hostage.
As the world’s authorities and media search for the disappeared aircraft, the pilot must rise to the occasion and keep his passengers safe long enough for help to arrive.
Producers were reportedly unable to obtain production insurance that would cover a COVID-19 outbreak and so Lionsgate, who had bought the rights to the film for North America, Latin America, the U.K. and India, opted out.
The plan was to shoot in Malaysia last month but that was scrapped when COVID cases spiked in the country. The filmmakers then considered shooting in the Dominican Republic and in the U.S. but had not locked down a location, leading to Lionsgate backing away from the project.
Butler, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Alan Siegel, Marc Butan and Ara Keshishian are all producing.
Source: Variety
