Gerard Butler's Die Hard Meets Jack Ryan Franchise Revived Itself By Switching Main Characters

Published Oct 4, 2026, 11:50 AM EDT

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Gerard Butler's best action franchise mixes Jack Ryan with Die Hard, and against all logic, it's becoming even more popular after switching main characters. After 300, Gerard Butler action movies became an in-demand subgenre unto themselves. In truth, the Scottish star didn't have great luck trying to break out of that mold, with the likes of The Ugly Truth or would-be blockbuster Gods of Egypt doing his career few favors.

R-rated, mid-budget action flicks have since become Butler's bread and butter, and that's because he has quite good taste in them. The likes of Copshop, Plane and especially Den of Thieves all play to their leading man's strengths, where he gets to inject some humor and character into familiar setups. The same is true for his Has Fallen movie franchise, where he plays dogged Secret Service agent Mike Banning.

Despite receiving mostly poor reviews, the trilogy collectively nabbed over $520 million worldwide, and provided Butler with a stable franchise throughout the 2010s. Despite a fourth entry titled Night Has Fallen being greenlit in 2020, that entry has yet to be produced - and might never be. Instead, the property moved to TV in 2024 with the debut series Paris Has Fallen.

The Has Fallen TV Spinoff Dropped Gerard Butler's Banning As The Main Character

Butler remained as a producer on the show through his company G-BASE, but despite rumors Banning might appear, this didn't come to pass. Instead, the series had no real links with the films whatsoever, and focuss on MI6 agent Zara (Ritu Arya) and French Protective Service bodyguard Vincent (Tewfik Jallab) as they chase a vengeful terrorist named Jacob Pearce (Sean Harris).

TV spinoffs of film franchises tend to be chintzy, short-lived affairs, but against all odds, Paris Has Fallen was the best entry in the franchise yet. It has great setpieces, a fun buddy dynamic between Vincent and Zara, and played like a stressful blend of 24 and Jack Ryan. It scored an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes; before that, the highest RT score any of the movies earned was the 49% Olympus Has Fallen received.

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Sure, it would have been great to see Butler turn up in Paris Has Fallen, but it's hard to see where Banning would have fit in the narrative. It was better for the show to establish its own identity, and the success of the first season speaks for itself. Not only is it returning for a second series dubbed Apollo Has Fallen, but before that season even airs, a third called Shadow Has Fallen is already filming as of September 2026.

The Has Fallen Movie And TV Show Should Crossover

Continuing the Has Fallen saga without its original lead was a risk - but it has paid off handsomely. That said, it's been seven years and counting since Butler last appearance as Banning in Angel Has Fallen, and audiences are overdue for a return. Even with his link to the TV spinoff, its doubtful Butler will cameo in future seasons, but a better alternative would be a fourth instalment that crosses over with the show.

It wouldn't take a major leap of imagination to put together a script where Banning, Zara and Vincent need to reluctantly work together. Butler himself has stated a desire to make more grounded, less bombastic actioners, so another Has Fallen could see Zara and Vincent taking on some of the fight sequences too.

Gerard Butler's next action thriller will be Empire City, co-written by S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk).

It would also be interesting to see what became of Banning after he retires from field work, where the physical toll of the job started to catch up to him. It feels like the film and TV sides of the Has Fallen saga have become separate franchises with their own fanbases, so a fourth film would be smart to merge those worlds whilst giving Banning a proper finale.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

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  Has Fallen

  Created by

  Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt

  First Film

  Olympus Has Fallen

  Latest Film

  Angel Has Fallen

  Upcoming Films

  Night Has Fallen

  First TV Show

  Paris Has Fallen

  Latest TV Show

  Paris Has Fallen

  The Has Fallen franchise is an American action thriller series centered around Secret Service agent Mike Banning, portrayed by Gerard Butler. The narrative follows Banning as he protects U.S. presidents from various threats, showcasing intense action sequences and political intrigue.

• 

  Paris Has Fallen

  

  7/10

  Release Date

  September 23, 2024

  Network

  Canal+

  • 

    Tewfik Jallab

    Vincent Taleb

  • 

    Zara Taylor