Channing Tatum Takes The Lead In Roland Emmerich's 'White House Down'

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by Kevin Jagernauth
May 14, 2012 7:52 PM
4 Comments

Well, Channing Tatum has officially arrived. After powering two of the biggest hits of the year so far with "The Vow" and "21 Jump Street," the hard working actor is being given the keys to a Roland Emmerich blockbuster. That's not a bad reward at all.

Tatum is now lining up to take the lead in "White House Down," Sony's pricey action pic that has already seen them plunk down $3 million on the script by James Vanderbilt ("The Amazing Spider-Man," "Zodiac"). Said to be a cross between "Die Hard" and "Air Force One," Tatum will play a single dad (emotional stakes alert!) and Secret Service agent who has to save the president and defend the highest office in the land when it comes under a paramilitary attack. Already showing he can lead romance and comedies to big box office, this will be a test of Tatum in the action sphere. Of course, he went down this road with "G.I. Joe: Rise Of The Cobra" but a) that movie was a piece of shit and b) in the short time that has elapsed since then, his stock has gone up considerably.

Sony is racing to beat Relativity's rival project "White House Taken"/"Olympus Has Fallen" which basically has the same plot, but with Gerard Butler in the lead. Something tells us the casting of Tatum puts Sony one step ahead. There won't be much time to rest for Tatum this summer. He'll be promoting "Magic Mike" and then headed back in front of cameras to shoot this pic which already has a November 1, 2013 release date locked in. [THR]

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More: White House Down, Roland Emmerich, Channing Tatum

4 Comments

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Holly | May 15, 2012 4:42 PMReply

Sony has the advantage simply because the opposing "house" is Relativity, who's list of missteps and mismanagement is too long to discuss in this venue. At the rate Relativity is "restructuring," Sony simply has to stay in business longer than RM to "win" this race. Notwithstanding the Relativity disadvantage, and scripts being the same, Gerard Butler wins the draw from me.
Gatz | May 14, 2012 9:47 PMReply

This is great....they just keep piling on reasons NOT to see this piece of junk. What's next, Lena Dunham as Secretary of Defense?
ray | May 14, 2012 8:10 PMReply

He still doing Jupiter Descending?
lgb | May 14, 2012 8:06 PMReply

What about that Wachowski movie?