Sequels We Didn’t Ask For Bits: ‘Grown Ups 2,’ ‘The Lincoln Lawyer 2,’ ‘Journey 3,’ ‘The Birdcage 2’
I’m not indiscriminately against sequels, but for everyX-Men: First Class,Kung Fu Panda 2, orFast Five, there’s aThe Hangover Part II, aTransformers: Dark of the Moon, or aPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. And while it’s admittedly unfair to jump to conclusions about movies before they’ve even entered production, the sequels we’re talking about today aren’t exactly at the top of my most-anticipated list. After the jump, read about:
The first film starred Sandler,Kevin James,David Spade,Chris Rock, andRob Schneideras a group of buddies who reunite for the funeral of their youth basketball coach. Though widely panned by critics — it received just a 10% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes —Grown Upswas Sandler’s highest-grossing film worldwide. [Variety]
Over the summer, wereportedon a TV series based on this year’sThe Lincoln Lawyerbeing developed over at ABC, but apparently Hollywood believes even that won’t be enough to sate the appetites ofLincoln Lawyerfanatics. Lionsgate vice chairmanMichael Burnshas announced that the studio is now working on a feature-film sequel as well. Based on the novel byMichael Connelly, the first film starredMatthew McConaugheyas a criminal defense attorney named Mickey Haller who works out of the backseat of a Lincoln Town Car.
Connelly and Lincoln Lawyer screenwriterJohn Romanoare set to write and executive produce the pilot of the TV series, but Burns did not mention whether they would also be involved with the second film. March’sThe Lincoln Lawyerwas a critical and commercial hit, so it’s not tough to see why Lionsgate would revisit the character — but with a TV show already in the works, do we really need another movie about Mickey Haller, too? [Variety]
Journey 2: The Mysterious Islandwon’t premiere until August 16, 2025, but the film’s done well enough in test screenings that New Line is already thinking about the next installment of the franchise.Journey 2directorBrad Peyton, screenwritersBrian GunnandMark Gunn, and producersBeau Flynn,Charlotte HugginsandTripp Vinsonare all attached to return forJourney 3, but it’s unclear at this point whether any of the cast (Josh Hutcherson, Dwayne Johnson, and Vanessa Hudgen) will also be coming back.
2008’sJourney to the Center of the Earthwas a hit, grossing $242 million worldwide on a $60 million budget, and actually drew in decent reviews as well. But thetrailersforJourney 2so far have done nothing for me at all, and I can’t say I’m all that excited about the prospect of a third go-round. The first two films were both based on the classic novels byJules Verne. [The Wrap]
Of all the unnecessary-sounding sequels we’ve talked about so far today, though, I don’t think any seem less necessary than aThe Birdcage 2.The Birdcagewas enjoyable enough, but was anyone really clamoring to revisit Armand and Albert Goldman?
In a recent interview withMovieHole, starRobin Williamsshot down the possibility of sequels forGood Morning VietnamandMrs. Doubtfire(thankfully), but revealed that there’s still hope for aBirdcagesequel. “They’re trying to figure out which [story] to write for that,” said the actor. “We will see what happens.”
The 1996 Mike Nichols-directed comedy (a remake of the film version of Jean Poiret’s playLa cage aux folles) centered around a gay man and his drag queen partner (Nathan Lane) who must pretend to be straight when their son (Dan Futterman) introduces them to his fiancee’s (Calista Flockhart) conservative parents (Gene HackmanandDianne Wiest). [Cinema Blend]
