Sequel Bits: Warner Bros. Registers ‘Green Lantern 2’ And ‘Gremlins 3’, Plus: ‘Pineapple Express 2?, ‘Mission: Impossible 5?, ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’
We’ve got news for you on several sequels today, some more realistic than others. On the “coming soon to a theater near you” end, there’s a new synopsis forG.I. Joe: Retaliation; meanwhile, projects likeGremlins 3andPineapple Express 2have been rumored for ages but as far as we can tell they’re still just a twinkle in some studio exec’s eye. After the jump:
MovieHolereports that Warner Bros. has just renewed its registration for GreenLantern2.com. While a domain renewal isn’t solid confirmation that anotherGreen Lanternfilm is imminent,MovieHolepoints out that Warner Bros. wasn’t scrambling to pick up just anything, as it didn’t reserve domains for other rumored projects likeBlade Runner 2,Lost Boys 4, andThe Goonies 2.
Also on Warner Bros.’ domain shopping list was Gremlins3.com, which the studio has held since 2009. Once again, this doesn’t indicate that we’ll be seeing the return of Gizmo right away, but it does suggest that the studio is actively interested in keeping theGremlinsfranchise going.
Over the summer, directorJoe Dantenotedthat a new film would probably be CGI, and that therefore “I would think they would just go back to the beginning and remake it” as opposed to picking up whereGremlins 2left off. He also stated at the time that he did not expect to be involved. [viaComic Book Movie]
ThatPineapple Expresssequel doesn’t seem much closer to happening now than it was when rumors first began swirling a few years ago, but from the sounds of it, it’s still a possibility. In an interview withE! Online, starSeth Rogenexpressed a mild interest in bringing back Saul, Dale, and Red for another round. “I don’t think it’s so precious that I wouldn’t want to ruin it with a sequel,” he said. “So yeah, I would be [into it]. We talk about it. We joke around about it.”
There are a few hurdles in the way, however, including co-writerEvan Goldberg’s previously stated reluctance to revisit the property. “I’ve been the one stopping it,” he toldCinemaBlendback in January. ProducerJudd Apatowseemed somewhat more open to the idea back in 2009,sayingwe’d “have a better shot at seeing"Pineapple Express 2thanSuperbad 2, but then there’s also the issue of getting all these busy folks back together again. In short, while I wouldn’t mind seeing the pothead gang again, it likely won’t be anytime soon. [CinemaBlend]
Now that we’ve seenthe very first trailerforG.I. Joe: Retaliation, Paramount Pictures has released a synopsis explaining precisely what the film is about. How telling that it opens by noting how much the firstG.I. Joegrossed worldwide (kidding, mostly):
A follow-up to the 2009 release of G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA, which grossed over $300M worldwide, Paramount Pictures, MGM and Skydance Productions, in association with HASBRO and di Bonaventura Pictures, commences production on G.I. JOE: RETALIATION. In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
Okay, so the vague description doesn’t really reveal much we didn’t already know, but it never hurts to have the studio clear things up. Directed byJohn Chuand starringDwayne Johnson,Channing Tatum,Bruce Willis,Adrianne Palicki,D.J. Cotrona,Byung-hun Lee,Ray Park,RZA,Joseph Mazzello,Elodie Yung, andWalton Goggins,G.I. Joe: RetaliationopensJune 29, 2012. [Comic Book Movie]
In news that shouldn’t surprise too many people,MovieHoleis reporting that in the wake ofMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’s critical and commercial success, Skydance and Paramount plan to move forward with a fifthMission: Impossiblemovie. The site quotes an anonymous source at Paramount as saying they’re “extremely happy” withGhost Protocol’s box office performance, and that “Skydance definitely wants to get going quickly on[Mission] 5. And aTop Gun.”
While the original idea was forGhost Protocolto markTom Cruise’s exit from the franchise, withJeremy Renner’s character stepping up as the new lead inMission: Impossible 5, starSimon Peggsays that’s not the case anymore. “I think that might have been the plan earlier on,“MovieHolequotes him as saying, “but as the film progressed and we enjoyed it so much I think the idea of Ethan Hunt retiring fell by the wayside. Tom [Cruise] suddenly remembered why he loved doing these films so much and suddenly thought ‘well maybe I do want to do more?'”
Meanwhile, we already knew thatTop Gun 2wasin the worksat the studio, but it sounds like Skydance’s success withMission: Impossiblehas Paramount excited anew about the sequel. Expect to hear more updates soon. [viaCollider]
