It’s weird that Gerard Butler is suddenly a massive star. I remember first hearing about him years ago when he was pretty much an unknown. Butler came out and said that the producers of the Bond franchise approached him about replacing Pierce Brosnan… and this was around the time of TOMORROW NEVER DIES! I later saw him in DRACULA 2000 and thought this guy will vanish without a trace.

Gerry may have shot himself in the foot with the Bond comment (and playing Dracula) but you have to give him credit for coming through and doing so well for himself.

300 was a big movie for him and opened quite a few doors. The guy may not be as dynamic or rangey as, say, Daniel Craig, but he can deliver a line and has a macho presence that is refreshing in an increasingly sissy industry.

Butler is definitely trying to position himself as a kind of “new Sean Connery”. So much so that he’s taking on a role that everyone’s favourite rug-wearing Bond made famous.

Speaking to Collider about the various projects he has on the go, Butler talks about WATCHMEN:-

“You know, I’ll tell you, I don’t know. Zack’s crazy. So am I. So it’s funny cause… that’s a man I owe sitting here to, yeah I was a big part of 300, but that’s Zack’s movie. It’s his genius that made 300 what it was, it was a great marriage between the two of us. I was in a great position…I would’ve loved to jump into WATCHMEN and done something, but I had plenty to be doing on my own as well. I’ve done the graphic novel film so for me not to go on and do another one is fine, but I would love to work with Zack again… but that role has been on and off and on and off and the funny thing is we haven’t even talked about it, but I keep hearing rumors that, ‘Zack’s going to give you a call.’ I know he’s busy, one minute the role was cut cause of budget and then it was back in and then it was cut…so I keep hearing, ‘he’s going to call you… oh, maybe not.’ But my stunt man who is on my film – the one in New Mexico - just went up to there and he texted me and said, ‘Zack’s giving you a call cause he wants you to do that role.’ So I have no idea. I think, right now, they are so caught up with the main body of the film that I guess they probably don’t know if they’re going to do that or not. But if my schedule permits, I don’t finish my film until the end of January, and I think they’ll still be going… if it’s around I’d love to go up there. It would be really cool to get back on a set with Zack.”

About facing off against Hugh Jackman in WOLVERINE (Butler is rumoured to be playing Sabretooth):-

“I haven’t even met on it. I haven’t spoken to anybody and I haven’t seen a script. And I think I’m working when it’s going on. So it’s not…

“Listen, I’d be interested in anything up to I read a script.”

And the aforementioned Connery replacement role, in Brian De Palma’s UNTOUCHABLES prequel:-

“Yeah, I was signed up to do it but now it’s a little bit on the backburner at the moment… trying to get everything together, financing…what do you call it Capone. It’s like a lot of things, you get involved with them and it takes a little longer, you know.”

Head on over to Collider to see the whole interview, including talk of his role in THE GAME.