GERARD BUTLER AND SIR RIDLEY SCOTT SET TO MAKE FACT-BASED MERCENARY THRILLER

With Machine Gun Preacher currently winning over the critics in the cinemas comes the news that Gerard Butler is being tipped to lead a fact-based mercenary thriller for iconic Hollywood director Ridley Scott.

Robert Edwards has been hired to pen the film which will be based on the misadventures of former army officer Simon Mann, and while there isn't a studio attached just yet, with Scott and Butler onboard it's only a matter of time before a deal is done.

While Simon Mann might not ring many bells, he was instrumental in gathering a group of mercenaries in an attempt to launch a coup against the president of Equatorial Guinea in 2004. Upon travelling Zimbabwe to pick up weapons for the job, he was arrested and spent five tough years in prison. After his release, he was sent to Guinea and sentenced to a further 34 years, only to be freed via presidential pardon and cited Mark Thatcher as one of his backers.

Sir Ridley Scott is currently putting the finishing touches on Prometheus which stars Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce and Patrick Wilson and hits UK screens on June 1, as for Butler, he will next be seen in Ralph Fiennes directorial offering Coriolanus on January 20.

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