Two competing films doing a 'Die Hard' in the White House

Die Hard had such a good premise, it's been copied countless times by Hollywood. In 1994, Speed added motion to the equation with its "Die Hard on a bus," and yet another series of films was spawned, with all manner of moving vehicles, including subways, trains, and Air Force One, becoming the sites for hostage situations. Although the 1997 Harrison Ford action film has already placed the President in a hostage situation, Hollywood appears anxious to put our nation's leader in jeopardy again. Now two Hollywood projects plan to inject the Die Hard premise into the White House.

NuImage/Millennium Entertainment is at work putting together Olympus Has Fallen. Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) may direct the project, and Gerard Butler is already attached to star as a secret service agent who must prevent a terrorist attack on the White House. The production company acquired the script from newbie writers Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt just months ago. With a competing film in the pipeline, the company hopes to begin production in June.

White House Down, from Columbia, has Roland Emmerich (who already destroyed the White House in Independence Day) in talks to direct, and a script from hot screenwriter James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, as well as upcoming projects RoboCop, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Total Recall). Columbia paid $3 million for the script. It may not have the edge on time, but the studio has a proven screenwriter and a weighty financial commitment, indicating they are unlikely to back down if Olympus beats them to the punch.

In Hollywood, having two projects with a similar premise is the norm. If you don't have a good idea, why not steal it? Of the many similar movies that have ended up releasing, I often wonder if the better film was the original, or the one that started as a copycat. That's something only a few insiders will ever know. If two projects that are too similar move forward, though, often one ends up dropping out. That's what happened to the two competing Three Musketeers projects--only Summit's version went forward. Given that Columbia bought the script for White House Down while Olympus was already in the works--and prepping to shoot--indicates that no one is going to drop out in this game of Die Hard in the White House chicken.