Gerard Butler becomes a fugitive from the law in the action-packed new trailer for Angel Has Fallen. 2013's Olympus Has Fallen introduced audiences to Butler's Mike Banning, a disgraced former Secret Service agent who found himself once again protecting the president (Aaron Eckhart) after terrorists attacked the White House. Thanks in large part to Butler's intense presence, the movie went on to gross a respectable $170 million at the worldwide box office.

Butler's action star credentials were solidified by his performance in Olympus Has Fallen, and in 2016 he would build those credentials further by returning in the sequel London Has Fallen, which again saw Mike Banning going up against international terrorists with designs on wreaking havoc by killing world leaders. The second film was an even bigger hit than the first, grossing $205 million worldwide. It was no surprise then that Millennium Films quickly announced plans for a third movie, to be titled Angel Has Fallen, with Butler back as Banning (though Aaron Eckhart elected to bow out from playing the ever-imperiled President Asher for a third time).

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In Angel Has Fallen, former Speaker of the House Turnbull (Morgan Freeman) has now become president, while Mike Banning is looking at taking on a nice cushy desk job as the director of the Secret Service. But unfortunately, terrorists once again have plans that involve taking out the president. In a twist, Banning himself is framed for attempted assassination and finds himself going on the run. Lionsgate Movies has released the first trailer for the movie, which can be seen below, together with a new poster (via Angel Has Fallen on Instagram):

Angel Has Fallen movie poster

Gerard Butler previously compared Angel Has Fallen to Logan, with Mike Banning in the role of the former hero who just wants to fade away, but finds himself called back to action one more time. However, audiences may be reminded more of The Fugitive, as Banning finds himself being hunted down like Harrison Ford's Dr. Richard Kimble after being falsely accused of a crime. Of course, this being an entry in the same franchise that includes Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen, there is an excessive amount of action as Banning goes about trying to evade the authorities and hopefully clear his name, all while still protecting president Turnbull (even when he's become a fugitive from the law, Mike Banning keeps on doing his job).

Fans of the previous movies in this series are of course expecting lots of explosions, chases and gunfights, all with Gerard Butler projecting a steely intensity. It remains to be seen if Angel Has Fallen will live up to expectations, but at least going by the trailer, it seems the movie is set to deliver more of what the previous two films offered up when it arrives in theaters on August 23, 2019.

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Source: Lionsgate Movies, Angel Has Fallen/Instagram

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