Sequel Bits: ‘Jumanji 3’, Bill & Ted 3', ‘Hobbs And Shaw’, ‘Jay And Silent Bob’ Reboot,' ‘Bumblebee’ & More
In this edition of Sequel Bits:
Dwayne Johnsonshared our first look at the forthcoming sequel toJumanji: Welcome to the Jungleon Instagramon Valentine’s Day last week. This seems like it’s a shot from the movie anyway. It could also just be from camera tests, but either way, the actor has signaled the start of production.
On top of that, The Rockalso shared the above imagefrom behind the scenes of a table read alongside fellow co-starsKevin Hart, reprising his role from the first movie, and newcomerDanny DeVito. We still don’t have any plot details about Jumanji, and the photo from the front page doesn’t offer much insight, but hopefully we’ll learn more soon.
A post shared by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith)
Meanwhile,Kevin Smithis gearing up to shoot Jay andSilent Bob Rebootsoon, the first movie set in his own View Askewniverse sinceClerks IIin 2006. As Smith explains in the Instagram post above, these are the clapboards that will be used on set. There’s an obviousClerksmeetsStar Warsmotif in the artwork, and that makes us wonder if Kevin Smith will be taking an approach to the movie similar toThe Force Awakens. We’re not sure how he would pull that off without introducing some key new characters, but that could be fun.
Even thoughBumblebeehad to jump through some hoops to stay true to the mythology set forth be the previous franchise of live-actionTransformers, it sounds like Hasbro might not be too worried about it. While making a presentation at the New York Toy Fair last weekend (viaTFW2005), the panel specifically referred toBumblebeeas starting “a new storytelling universe,” which would seem to imply that the film is basically rebooting theTransformersfilm universe.
That would be great news for any of theTransformersmovies that follow, especially since the timeline for events was already pretty convoluted with all the new revelations that came about regarding humanity’s history with the robots in disguise. Hopefully this means theTransformersfranchise will follow in the same satisfying footsteps of Bumblebee as the movies veer further away from what Michael Bay did in the past.
If all goes well, it looks like there’s a chance that the long awaitedBill & Ted 3, orBill and Ted Face the Music, might start shooting this spring. Of course, this prospective production start comes from Production Weekly (viaGeek Tyrant), and those dates aren’t always solid but merely hopeful. Plenty of times movies have been listed to start production a few months from the latest issue of Production Weekly but get delayed for one reason or another.
Last we heard,Galaxy QuestdirectorDean Parisotwas slated to be at the helm of the sequel written byChris MathesonandEd Solomon, andKeanu ReevesandAlex Winterswere both ready to reprise their roles. But we won’t hold our breath waiting for this one until the cameras are actually rolling.
The documentaryLeaving Neverlandis coming to HBO in March, telling the story of two boys (now adult men) who were sexually abused by pop starMichael Jackson. The film shows how these boys and their families were traumatized by these events and still struggle with them to this day. And it might just be the beginning of an even bigger dig into the seedy past of this music icon.
DirectorDan Reedsaid that he’s open to doing a follow-up toLeaving Neverlandif other high-profile accusers likeJordan ChandlerandGavin Arvizowanted to sit down in front of the camera and tell their story. Reed said:
“If Jordan Chandler were to come forth, and if I could sit down with him speak to him the way I did to Wade [Robson] and James [Safechuck], that would I think, be the core of a very interesting film about that story, and the same goes for Gavin.”
It would add even more credence to these horrible accusations that continue to face criticism from Jackson’s estate and hardcore fans. However, Reed says it would be a different kind of film than the firstLeaving Neverland:
“I would of course use the interviews I’ve already shot with investigators from those investigations — the D.A.s and all the people that were part of that wider drama,” he said. “That would have been a very different type of film. It wouldn’t be this sort of claustrophobic — you wouldn’t be locked in a room with the Safechucks and the Robsons. I’d tell the story from Jordan and Gavin’s point of view, partly, but also through the eyes of all the other participants.”
These are the kind of stories that need to be told, even and especially when they’re about our most beloved heroes.
Finally,Jason Reitmanrecently appeared onBill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast, and discussion briefly turned to the forthcomingGhostbusterssequel he’s working on for release in 2020. Reitman mostly echoed what he’s already said about the movie, but he did add one interesting tidbit:
“I wrote the film in secret with my writing partner Gil Kenan. We wrote it over the last year while we were finishing upThe Front Runnerand we turned it in December. And I have to admit my presumption was it was going to be like any studio film that I had heard about where they do years of rewrites and they grind it into the ground and it never happens. I was fully prepared for this year to be a year of maybe taking a little time off and doing rewrites on Ghostbusters and instead, the studio read the first draft and said ‘yeah go make it.'”
That’s certainly a surprising turn of events. But maybe the studio was just so hungry for aGhostbusterssequel that followed the original franchise, especially one with Ivan Reitman’s son attached to direct, that they loved the idea immediately. As for what fans can expect from the movie, it will be a “love letter” to the original franchise:
“This is going to be a love letter to Ghostbusters. I love this franchise. I grew up watching it. I consider myself the first Ghostbusters fan. I was like seven years old when that movie came out and I love it. I want to make a movie for my fellowGhostbustersfans.”
Hopefully this doesn’t mean we’ll be getting endless fan service and nostalgia in place of a good story. A newGhostbusterscan be respectful and loving of the original franchise without fawning over it for the entire runtime. Here’s hoping we learn more about what’s coming in the new movieat Ghostbusters Fan Fest this summer.
