Hollywood has a long history of Presidential drama (and comedy) but with Antoine Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen, the highest office in the United States is getting a serious dose of action. Casting Gerard Butler as a Secret Service agent determined to save the President (Aaron Eckhart) from a terrorist takeover of the White House, Olympus, strangely enough, isn’t the only upcoming film focusing on a President under fire.

Roland Emmerich’s White House Down will follow a similar plot with the talents of Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum, and feature plenty of explosive action (if Emmerich’s directorial habit of blowing the White House to pieces continues). With this pair of films (and more possibly on the way), we have to ask: is this the start of a new genre?

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

The ‘White House movie’ idea may seem far-fetched, but the real building has seen its share of intruders and attacks; some we wouldn’t believe possible if they hadn’t already happened. Here are the stories of 5 Real-Life White House Attacks.

The Real Story: We all have a desire to be a part of history, whether by making it ourselves or witnessing it; Robert Latta decided to do a little bit of both. On the day President Ronald Reagan was sworn-in for his second term, Latta decided not necessarily to attack, but go sightseeing, following the 33-member Marine Band past White House security.

From there the Denver native strolled the residence, overnight bag in hand, until Secret Service agents discovered him and brought his 14-minute-long tour to an end. He was interrogated and searched for explosives, but none were found. Claiming that he thought “if I wasn’t supposed to be there, somebody would stop me,” Latta was charged with unlawful entry and despite the court’s wishes for psychiatric evaluation, he posted bail and returned home.

The Denver Water Department meter-reader maintained his intrusion was simply a mistake, even if it did turn out to be the highlight of his trip. Although Latta later revealed that: “I wanted to see how far I could get.”


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About The Author


Andrew Dyce
(3247 Articles Published)

Screen Rant Editor Andrew Dyce was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Despite calling the vast nothingness of the Canadian prairies home (or perhaps because of it) film and television have been a passion since birth. As a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a degree in English Literature, Andrew has grown to appreciate the story and writing behind everything from blockbuster comic book movies to schlocky B-movie action.

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