Gerard Butler talks 'Greenland' sequel migrating to theaters

Most disaster movies depict the moments leading up to a cataclysm, but the new film Greenland 2: Migration explores a world already ravaged by disaster.

Migration picks up five years after the events of the first Greenland, in which a giant comet on a collision course with Earth forces John Garrity, played by Gerard Butler, to take shelter in a giant underground bunker. Butler said his character and his family were everyday people in the first film, which he describes as elevating the film.

“The intimacy of that I found fascinating and gave it surprising heart,” Butler told ABC Audio. “So much of what John has is heart. He has heart, and he has courage, and he’s fighting for an ideal bigger than himself.”

For the sequel, John and his family are forced to leave their bunker on a journey to a potential safe haven. But the world of Migration is a dangerous one, where one is just as likely to encounter warring factions of survivors as they are a rogue electrical storm or a destructive tidal wave.

“It felt like a challenging and interesting idea to say, ‘What does this world look like now? And what are the challenges? What are the practical challenges? How is everybody feeling? How are they living?'” Butler said.

He added that living — not just surviving — is a major theme of Greenland 2: Migration.

“It doesn’t feel like it’s just about their survival, but there’s a sense of what can they bring to this new world? And what can they add?” Butler said.

Butler said the Greenland movies fit into the classic "disaster movie" genre, mixing high-octane spectacle with human stakes.

“I love disaster movies,” Butler said.