Jung Byung-Gil to direct Gerard Butler in 'Afterburn'

South Korean director Jung Byung-Gil (‘The Villainess’, ‘Confession of a Murderer’) will direct Gerard Butler in a new American futuristic action adventure called ‘Afterburn’.

Based on a comic by Red 5, the film has long since been a passion project for Butler and he has high hopes that it will be the beginning of a new franchise. Set five years after a solar flare disrupts all technology in Europe, the story follows a treasure hunter (Butler) who goes to France to retrieve the Mona Lisa. Paired with a strong willed weapons expert with her own agenda, the two search for the famed painting and encounter unexpected enemies along the way. The producers are already looking at future story lines where the character searches for treasures such as England’s Crown Jewels, the Star of India, or China’s Imperial Treasures.

‘Afterburn’ is eyeing a late summer production start from a script by Matt Johnson (‘Into The Blue’).