A 'Point Break' remake is still happening, possibly with Gerard Butler

Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Alcon Entertainment and Warner Brother decided back in 2011 that it was time for a remake of Point Break, the 1991 cult classic about an undercover FBI agent (Keanu Reeves) chosen to infiltrate a surf gang. But it's been slow going.

With Kurt Wimmer's screenplay and Ericson Core, the cinematographer behind the similarly themed Fast & the Furious, the remake's producers are still rounding out the cast.

The Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday that Gerard Butler is in final talks to play the enigmatic lead surfer Bodhi, played with laid-back intensity by Patrick Swayze in 1991.

Reeves character, former Ohio State quarterback Johnny Utah, has yet to be cast.

The 49-year-old actor said back in December that he would "absolutely not" participate in a remake, but he did offer the filmmakers his reserved blessing.

"If they can find a way to do it that works out good, then God bless them," Reeves said. "[It] sounds very exciting - but is it a good thing? I don't know."

Producer Andrew Kosove said in 2011 that they would loosely follow the plot of the original Kathryn Bigelow-directed film, noting that his remake would feature other kinds of extreme sports.

"This is the thing -- surfing is a part of it, but I will tell you that we believe firmly, in terms of remaking a film like this, we've got to make it fresh," Kosove said. "[The remake] has got elements of the original and it's not just surfing, it's other kinds of extreme sports, but surfing is very, very prominent in the story."

[The Hollywood Reporter, BBC News, Indiewire]