Gerard Butler has dropped out of Point Break, the remake of the 1991 surf-crime thriller that starred Patrick Swayze. Citing both creative differences and a scheduling conflict, he is essentially leaving the film in a bit of a lurch–without a big name star.

It seems Point Break is set to begin filming in June and Butler is scheduled to begin filming London Has Fallen—Olympus Has Fallen’s sequel–in London this coming fall. Alcon Entertainment reportedly plans to go on with their filming schedule, hoping to cast someone in Gerard Butler’s place right away. Point Break will also star Luke Bracey from G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but he isn’t the kind of box office name that Butler is.

The original Point Break drew a cult following and initiated the 1990s wave of surfer slang, as well as a hilarious bromance between Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. It’s sort of a far cry to think that a remake of that film–especially when it was supposed to star Gerard Butler–could have the same impact on box office numbers. Butler was to have played the role of Bodhi, a Zen surfer who was also a robber. This was Patrick Swayze’s role in the original. Who do you suppose will take Gerard Butler’s place?

Meanwhile Focus Features is excited to have Gerard Butler back for London Has Fallen. His character will attempt to stop a plot to attack the funeral of a British prime minister. The film will also star Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett and Radha Mitchell.

Was bailing on Point Break a good move by Gerard Butler or will it leave some producers with a bad taste in their mouths? He likely could have pulled off both roles if he truly wanted to. Do you think he felt a film like Point Break was beneath his level of talent?

London Has Fallen has been given a release date of October 2, 2015.

Image via Wikimedia Commons