Lionsgate has updated its release schedule with three new movies.
“Flight Risk,” an aviation thriller featuring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Mel Gibson, is set for release on October 18, 2024. The action-comedy “The Killer’s Game,” starring Dave Bautista, will premiere on September 13, 2024.
Additionally, Gerard Butler’s sequel “Den of Thieves: Pantera” is scheduled to hit theaters on January 10, 2025.
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“Flight Risk” Set to Compete with “Smile 2”
“Flight Risk” is scheduled to debut alongside Paramount’s “Smile 2.” In this aviation thriller, Mark Wahlberg portrays a balding, psychotic mob hitman who deceives a federal agent into letting him pilot a plane transporting an informant, played by Topher Grace, from a remote area. The film reunites Gibson and Wahlberg, who previously collaborated on “Father Stu” and “Daddy’s Home 2.”
Mark Wahlberg Transforms in Mel Gibson’s “Flight Risk”
Mark Wahlberg is set to unveil a strikingly different portrayal of himself in “Flight Risk,” an upcoming thriller helmed by Mel Gibson. The trailer, showcased by Lionsgate at CinemaCon on March 4th, 2024, confirms Wahlberg’s departure from his usual square-jawed hero roles. In “Flight Risk,” he embodies a balding, psychotic mob hitman who cunningly persuades a federal agent to let him pilot a plane transporting an informant from a remote location.
Wahlberg’s performance is marked by a faux Southern accent and a chilling sociopathic demeanor, showcasing his versatility as an actor. Meanwhile, Gibson, known for his controversial past, is presented in the trailer as the esteemed director of Oscar-winning films like “Braveheart” and “Apocalypto,” as well as the Oscar-nominated “Hacksaw Ridge.” This marks Gibson and Wahlberg’s reunion following their collaborations on “Father Stu” and “Daddy’s Home 2,” with “Flight Risk” offering a departure from their previous works, reminiscent of aviation thrillers such as “Executive Decision” and “Passenger 57.”
Michelle Dockery, shedding her “Downton Abbey” image, portrays the agent engaged in a high-stakes battle for control of the aircraft alongside Wahlberg. Topher Grace assumes the role of the handcuffed informant, adding tension with his uncertain fate. The trailer is set to a slowed-down rendition of the Talking Heads song, “Psycho Killer.”
Jared Rosenberg’s screenplay for “Flight Risk” garnered recognition by making it onto the prestigious “Black List” of the most-liked unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. In addition to “Flight Risk,” Lionsgate teased footage from “Borderlands,” an adaptation of the popular video game, and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” a family-friendly holiday film.
“The Killer’s Game” to Premiere Alongside “Speak No Evil”
“The Killer’s Game” is set to open on the same day as Universal’s horror remake “Speak No Evil,” starring James McAvoy. Based on Jay R. Bonansinga’s book, the film follows top hitman Joe Flood (Dave Bautista), who, after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, decides to take out a hit on himself. However, when the hitmen he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella), he must defend against his assassin colleagues and win back his ex before time runs out. The cast also includes Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Pom Klementieff, and Ben Kingsley. JJ Perry directed “The Killer’s Game” from a script by Rand Ravich and James Coyne.
“Den of Thieves: Pantera” Currently Solo Release for January 10
“Den of Thieves: Pantera” is, so far, the only movie slated for release on January 10, though more films may be added to the schedule before next year. Christian Gudegast, the director of the 2018 heist thriller “Den of Thieves,” returns to write and direct the sequel.
Gerard Butler reprises his role as Big Nick, a tough Los Angeles police officer, now on a mission in Europe to track down Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), an ex-marine-turned-robber who becomes involved in a plot to execute a massive heist on the world’s largest diamond exchange.