Well, well, well, look what we got here. It’s been quite a while since I blogged about ze Butler, in fact, not once the entire month of December. But today we’ve got a poster/trailer combo of his new movie, thanks to GBGals via Twitter, and another possible next project that I have to say is quite intriguing.

First, about his upcoming rom-com The Bounty Hunter with Rachel … er, Jennifer Aniston. To tell you the truth, despite his involvement in this, I’m still kind of ‘meh’ about this flick, and this poster doesn’t exactly make me gung-ho to see it. Both of them look heavily Photoshop-ed to look slimmer (what’s with Aniston’s hip?), the whole thing just doesn’t look natural. Don’t even get me started on the tag line… “The pursuit begins”? Come on!

View the trailer below or a clearer version on the movie’s official site.

Well, at least the preview looks like fun, but man, why am I getting the same vibe as GB’s last flick The Ugly Truth? NOT a good thing. He’s paired with yet another blond and again they’re bickering as if to mask the brimming sexual tension between them. And just like the one with Katherine Heighl, the movie’s supporting cast is comprised of comedians & TV actors: Jason Sudeikis, Dorian Missick and Christine Baranski. The Bounty Hunter is directed by Andy Tennant, the same guy who brought us Fools Rush In, Fool’s Gold, Fools Ever After (sorry got carried away there), Anna and the King, Sweet Home Alabama, and Hitch. Ok, so the last three aren’t terrrible, but none of his movies is exactly ‘stellar’ work. Curiously, Dark Horizons site lists this as one of the notable films of 2010, though it doesn’t exactly sing praises in its analysis, saying that the trailer will probably be a lot better than the final film. Ugh, that’s exactly what I’m dreading.

Now, on to that intriguing possible next project for Butler. Guess what folks, it’s NOT another rom-com. Yay! After signing to play Coriolanus’ villain in Ralph Fiennes directing debut, the Scot is rumored to play a reverend called the Machine Gun Preacher, directed by Marc Forster. Say wha–? A preacher?? Yep, according to FirstShowing, Butler might be teaming up with the German director to bring the story of former gang biker turned minister Sam Childers. “After time spent riding his Harley-Davidson, doing drugs, and enjoying women, somehow Childers found comfort in God, and now he spends his time helping oppressed and threatened children in African countries like Sudan. Based from his book Another Man’s War: The True Story of One Man’s Battle to Save Children in the Sudan, the movie will chronicle the ups and downs of Childers’ life as well as the work he does today. You can read more about his Angels of East Africa ministry and his own organization website.

A local PA newspaper also reported that Butler had met with the unorthodox preacher: “Since the book was published, a screenplay has been written about his life. And it will soon be made into a major motion picture. Details are scarce; however, actor Gerard Butler recently visited Childers at his church in Central City. Butler may play the ‘Machine Gun Preacher’ in the movie.” You got to hand it to the actor for refusing to be typecast. This doesn’t sound like a big, flashy project, but more like a small art-house flick. I wonder if this is one of the projects Butler was alluding to in this UAE interview when he was honored with Variety‘s International Star of the Year award. Asked if he’ll do a low-budget flick if he likes the script, he replied, “Absolutely. I’m producing two movies at the moment and they’re low budget. I’m sure I’m getting 10 cents for each one! But if it’s an interesting project, I take it.” Forster is no stranger to such a film, having done The Kite Runner back in 2007. I really like his other two films, Stranger Than Fiction and Finding Neverland, though I wasn’t too impressed with Quantum of Solace. In any case, I don’t exactly know what to expect with this one, but it certainly sounds promising. With the success of true-story-inspired drama The Blind Side, this could potentially be a surprise hit.

I’ll definitely keep an eye on this project so stay tuned for an official announcement. What say you folks? Do you think it’s a good role for Gerry Butler?