Back in January, it was announced that Gerard Butler had attached himself to the fact-based drama Machine Gun Preacher, which is set to be directed by Marc Forster. Deadline, who first broke that news, are now reporting that both Michelle Monaghan and Michael Shannon have become attached to the project as well. And that shooting will begin this summer.

Gerard Butler will play real-life hero Sam Childers, a reformed criminal turned crusader who enters Africa's most dangerous battle zones to rescue children from the clutches of rebel warlords. Monaghan will play Lynn, Childers' wife who struggled to keep their family together while he helped establish an orphanage house in Africa. Shannon is in talks to play a close friend of Childers who stayed with Lynn while her husband was off on his crusade. The actor will play a very pivotal role in the film's plot.