Plane star Mike Colter set to lead action sequel Ship

(Image credit: Lionsgate)

Plane star Mike Colter is officially reprising his role in Ship, a sequel to the Gerard Butler-fronted actioner. This time, the actor will appear in the lead role, as his character Louis Gaspare finds himself having to protect the passengers of a seafaring vessel.

The movie, which will be shopped to the European Film Market at the Berlin Film Festival according to The Hollywood Reporter, will see Gaspare hop on an East Asian cargo ship in an attempt to flee the Philippines. On board, he discovers that the vessel is being used as a ferry for a human trafficking ring, and subsequently teams up with its navigator to take down the boat's corrupt captain.

While Plane was penned by Charles Cumming and J. P. Davis and helmed by Jean-François Richet, THR suggests that Lionsgate is currently in talks with writers and directors. Richet will executive produce this time around.

In the original flick, it was established that Gaspare was once a military man, but has since been convicted of a murder he may or may not have actually committed. After crash landing on a remote island, he and the titular plane's pilot Brodie Torrance (Butler) take it upon themselves to keep the plane's passengers safe from dangerous pirates.

"No one cares what really happened," he gruffly states about his sentence during a quieter moment in the film. Little else was revealed about his mysterious past, having abruptly ran off into the jungle in its final act, but given that the follow-up will see him step up as protagonist, it's likely we'll learn more.

Prior to appearing in Plane, Colter was best known for his roles in Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Evil. He reacted to the announcement simply by sharing THR's write-up on his Instagram Story, alongside the caption: "Ship 🔥🚢🔥🚢🔥"

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.