Plane is bringing the blockbuster action movie back to the big screen in 2023 with a bombastic adventure and a very human story. In Plane, Captain Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) is piloting a New Year's Eve flight, but a storm forces him to land on a remote island in the Philippines to save his crew and passengers. However, his emergency landing is only the start of this group's problems when the militia inhabitants of the island see an opportunity for ransom.
Brodie is forced to trust the convicted murderer Louis Gaspare that was being transported on his flight to help him save his crew and passengers, so they can escape this danger-filled island. Plane is written by Charles Cumming and J.P. Davis and directed by Jean-François Richet. Plane harkens back to the everyday hero action blockbusters that merge character with brutal action sequences in a box office dominated by superheroes.
Screen Rant spoke with Butler and Colter about Plane. Butler explained why Plane is the type of movie and Brodie is the kind of character he loves to play, while Colter revealed that the relationship between his character, Louis, and Butler's Brodie is what drew him to Plane and shared his thoughts about returning as Luke Cage.
Gerard Butler & Mike Colter On Plane
Screen Rant: Gentlemen, this is the reason I go to movie theaters. So many blockbusters focus on bombastic superhero movies while Plane shows the heart that exists in the real world in times of crisis. Gerard, I love the moments of humanity when your character's affected by what's happening while understanding his need to stay centered. How did you find that balance, and why is it important to tell these types of stories?
Gerard Butler: These are stories that I love to tell. It's like an everyday man in a very out of the ordinary ... everyday people actually in a very out of the ordinary situation. And how do we as a people or as an individual deal with that situation? What is it going to pull out of us? What are the decisions that we have to make that will go wrong?
And like you say, the thing that I love are those quiet moments. I mean, we have plenty of action and it's so suspenseful, but the moments that really kind of grab you are those moments between him and I of bonding, of understanding each other, or me and my own as I realize the severity of this situation and what's just happened or what are the decisions that I have to make, maybe abandoning my passengers, but to go and do something else.
These are things that an audience I think can identify with for the very reason of their imperfections, but their vulnerability and their humanity. We're taking them on a wild ride. But we're taking them on a ride that we really feel they're there with us because they get it. They understand it could just as easily be one of them flying the plane or one of them in handcuffs and on this journey together.
Absolutely. Mike, your character has some interesting similarities to Luke Cage, a prisoner that steps up to become a hero. Did you draw anything from your time as Luke Cage, and what did you want to bring to the role that wasn't necessarily on the page?
Mike Colter: I never drew a comparison between the two. I mean, a lot of interesting characters start in handcuffs. I mean, it's cinema, it's like a lot of interesting characters are criminals because it's a great place to start. And I've come to conclusion that sometimes you just have to start in a weird place and then find your way out of it. I was more drawn to the relationship again between Torrance and Gaspare because it was one of those things where it was a trust journey for both of them. And what I'm starting to realize is that you look at the way it works is almost like ... It's like Torrance is trying to save the whole entire plane, the entire crew. And I'm sort of trying to save him from himself. It's like he's got all this stuff he wants to do and I'm like, "You can't do it that way."
And then he's just gung ho and it's almost like he needs help. And it's like for better or for worse, I got to hitch myself to this wagon. And it's one of those things, it's like you're watching a car accident slow motion or is it going to turn out great. And it's all these questions along the way and you don't know how it's going to turn out until the very end. And that's great about the film. It's going to get you that adrenaline rush in the beginning of the first act, you get a breather, then you go on this journey. And then before it, it's almost over and you still don't know what's going to happen till the last frame.
Screen Rant fans want to know, if you were to return as Luke Cage, like Charlie Cox did as Daredevil, is there anything about the character that you'd want to explore?
Mike Colter: Oh, I'm sure there's tons. There's tons. I mean, we didn't beat a dead horse there. We had more to do. But that's Marvel's character. I look at it as I had a good chance to play that role. And then it's their character. They can do whatever they want with it and good luck. I mean, if they call me, we'll talk. But I'm happy for Charlie to go back and do Daredevil again because I know he really loves that character. But I had a good run. I was really appreciative of the opportunity, but I'd like to focus on things and just try other things. I never looked back, but Luke Cage is a great opportunity.
About Plane
Plane follows pilot Brodie Torrance on an epic journey when a storm forces him to land his flight on a remote island in the Phillipines only to discover that his emergency landing is just the beginning. Brodie along with an unlikely ally in convicted murderer Louis Gaspare to save his crew and passengers and hopefully escape.
Plane arrives in theaters on January 13.