Safe House 2
2012 proved to be another strong year for Denzel Washington on the big screen, with his Oscar-nominated turn in Flight at the end of the year, and surprise hit Safe House at the start. Thanks to some strong direction from Daniel Espinosa, Safe House was a film that really did have its moments, and Universal is planning a follow-up. Last we heard, original writer David Guggenheim was exploring the direction a sequel could take. It's unclear whether Washington and Ryan Reynolds would return as of yet, in any form.
Salt 2
After looking like it had fallen off Angelina Jolie's slate of projects, it looks as if Salt 2 is back up and running. After a long period of nothing being heard, a new screenwriter was hired back in December 2012, with Becky Johnston now rewriting Kurt Wimmer's original draft. Phillip Noyce is unlikely to direct again, but we expect Salt 2 to head into production by next year at the latest, if it is indeed going to happen.
Sherlock Holmes 3
A third adventure for Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock Holmes remains in development, although the actor's commitment to the world of Marvel is making scheduling a bit of a problem. Jude Law will be back on board too, and producer Dan Lin has said that the film remains a "high priority". Drew Pearce is working on the script. We don't know as of yet if Guy Ritchie will be back to direct the third film.
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
Robert Rodriguez is apparently planning to have his long-awaited second Sin City movie in cinemas later in 2013, although don't be surprised if it slips back to 2014. Once again, he's assembled a terrific cast, with Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mickey Rourke and Michael Madsen amongst the company. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, which Frank Miller is co-directing, is currently set for an October release.
The Smurfs 3
Sit down if you don't know this number already, but Sony's The Smurfs grossed over half a billion dollars at the global box office. As such, there's a sequel heading to cinemas this year already. However, The Smurfs 3 is already on the release roster too, with a 2015 release targeted. Something to look forward to there.
Snow White And The Huntsman 2
Kristen Stewart, after some doubt, is now confirmed as returning for Snow White And The Huntsman 2, although for reasons that umpteen gossip magazines are happy to tell you about, Rupert Sanders won't be returning to direct. Originally, there was talk of a spin-off movie rather than a sequel, but it looks like a follow-up is now the way Universal is going with the film. Expect it by 2015.
Spongebob Squarepants 2
Now that Paramount has parted company with DreamWorks Animation, it's pressing ahead with its own slate of animated movies, and a follow-up to The Spongebob Squarepants Movie is already in production. Details on the story are all but not-existent at the moment, but we do know that Paramount is planning to release the film in 2014.
Star Trek 13
JJ Abrams has inevitably remained coy on the idea of doing a third Star Trek movie. Thus far, he's said that he has ideas for another movie, but it all hinges on the box office performance of Star Trek Into Darkness. We suspect he may have another hit on his hands. That said, he's also got the small matter of the next film in the list to consider. As such, while he's committed to another Star Trek movie, he may just produce, rather than direct it. We'll find out in due course...
Star Wars: Episode VII
You might have heard about this. Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm has kickstarted the return of the Star Wars franchise to the big screen, this time without George Lucas involved. Films are planned for every couple of years, with Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) penning the screenplay. JJ Abrams has been confirmed in the director's chair, and the current plan remains to have Episode VII in cinemas for the summer of 2015...
Super Troopers 2
The Broken Lizard team still plan to make a Super Troopers sequel, although director Jay Chandrasekhar is currently working on Yogi Bear 2 for Warner Bros. The hold up has been, according to the director, an unnamed legal issue with Fox, which all concerned are apparently looking to resolve shortly. Super Troopers 2 may yet press forward before the end of the year.
Taken 3
Liam Neeson was pretty open on the press tour for Taken 2 that he wasn't keen on doing a third installment, and it reportedly took some persuasion to get him to sign onto it. Furthermore, writer Luc Besson said that Taken was a two film story arc once upon a time. That said, Taken 2's sizeable box office returns has led to Fox reportedly starting development work on a third movie. It may yet prove quite tricky to get the mighty Neeson to commit to it, though...
Ted 2
Filming starts later this year on a sequel to the swear bear movie, Ted, which gave director Seth MacFarlane and star Mark Wahlberg a major hit in 2012. Both are back for the second film, and it'll be the first sequel to one of his movies that Wahlberg has made. Given the post-production required, and that shooting isn't due to start until Wahlberg is done on Transformers 4, the earliest we'd expect Ted 2 is at the end of 2013.
Terminator 5
Given the box office disappointment of The Last Stand, if Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to continue with a high profile film career, it looks like he needs Terminator 5 more than he once did. No wonder Arnie has reaffirmed his commitment to the project. The current status is that David Ellison and Megan Ellison are working the numbers, whilst on script duties are Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. Justin Lin was down to direct, but his commitment to the Fast & Furious franchise makes that unlikely. Still, we'd expect progress on Terminator 5 this year, even though Arnie is currently scheduled to spend the back end of 2013 making The Legend Of Conan.
Think Like A Man 2
Fantastic Four director Tim Story scored a solid US box office hit with his film of self-help book Think Like A Man. And whilst it may have done little at the UK box office, the film's done enough to get a sequel greenlit. It's unclear as of yet if Story will be returning for the movie, or when Screen Gems is looking to schedule it. We're not sure we'll be keeping you posted on it either, if it's all the same...
Thor: The Dark World
Game Of Thrones director Alan Taylor is calling the shots on the new Thor film, taking over from Kenneth Branagh. Chris Hemsworth takes on the role of Thor for the first time, with many of the key cast returning. A notable new addition, in full-on villain mode, is Christopher Eccleston. The film is scheduled for a late October 2013 release in the UK.
Three Men And A Baby 3
Apparently, this one's still on the cards. Earlier this year, Tom Selleck was reported by Entertainment Weekly as saying that he's still interested in the film, but that Disney hadn't given it the green light. It turns out though that the studio apparently still has it on its list of active projects. The original plan was to do Three Men And A Bride, which would be the logical progression. We await further news with interest, but Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson all seem keen on returning.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 2
This one's still bubbling along nicely, with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy director Tomas Alfredson on board. It'll be an adaptation of Smiley's People we get next, with Gary Oldman back as the title character. Producer Eric Fellner said at the end of last year that screenwriter Peter Straughan is working away on the film too.
Transformers 4
After a decade of making Transformers films, Michael Bay went away to make his long-cherished Pain & Gain movie, and now he's back on Transformers duties, apparently for one last time. This one's going to stay in the same narrative field as the previous three films, although it's a reboot of sorts, given that it's dispensing with the likes of Shia LaBeouf's character. Instead, Mark Wahlberg is going to take on starring duties this time around, in what's set to be the first film in a new trilogy. Expect it in 2014.
Triplets
Amongst the many sequels that Arnold Schwarzenegger is working on is apparently a follow-up to his first big comedy hit, Twins. The plan would be to reunite him with Danny DeVito, and to introduce a third brother, with Eddie Murphy mooted as a possibility. Ivan Reitman would likely be offered the chance to direct, although he's also involved in trying to get Ghostbusters 3 off the ground. Triplets has festered in development for some time though, and we wouldn't be surprised if it stayed there for some time longer yet.
TRON 3
After spending a small fortune to turn TRON: Legacy into a hit, Disney is continuing to press ahead with a further adventure. As of the end of 2012, Jesse Wigutow had been hired to take a stab at the screenplay, and director Joseph Kosinski (currently putting the finishing touches to Tom Cruise sci-fi vehicle Oblivion) is returning to direct. Given the hefty amount of effects work involved, we wouldn't expect TRON 3 until 2015 though at the earliest.
Wanted 2
Since we started doing this annual sequel round-ups many years ago, Wanted 2 has been a mainstay. It's a project we remain unconvinced will happen, and yet every few months that an update that seems to suggest it's actually live and kicking. The latest came in the autumn of 2012, where it was revealed that the film will definitely not feature - for understandable reasons - Angelina Jolie. Derek Haas and Michael Brandt were last heard to be working on a new draft for the script, and we wonder if D-day for Wanted 2 is coming shortly. Sooner or later, someone will have to make a call on it one way or the other.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2
Every time director Robert Zemeckis has a new film out, he tends to get asked as to the progress of Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2. And as he went on the publicity circuit for Flight, the same question cropped up. His answer? The script is in place, it just needs Disney to greenlight it. Which, at the time of writing, Disney hasn't...
The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death
A follow up to The Woman In Black is on its way, this time with mostly new characters. We'd be surprised if Daniel Radcliffe turns up in it. This time around, the movie is being directed by Tom Harper, and a 2014 release date is likely.
World War Z 2
As is increasingly common with Hollywood blockbusters, a big film is launched with the eye from the start on further installments. World War Z, based on Max Brooks' book, hasn't had an easy journey to the big screen, with apparently sizeable reshoots having taken place. But the Brad Pitt-headlined adaptation finally makes it cinemas this summer. If it does well, Paramount is understood to be looking to get a trilogy out of it.
Wreck-It Ralph 2
You have to go back to The Rescuers Down Under for the only sequel Disney has made to one of its main line of animated features (we're excluding Fantasia 2000). And The Rescuers Down Under, save for technically interesting things, isn't actually much cop. We're got far higher hopes for a Wreck-It Ralph 2 though, which looks like it might actually happen. The box office returns of the first film have helped, but so will the enthusiasm of director Rich Moore, who's made no secret of the fact that he'd be keen to return to the characters. No formal announcement has been made, but don't be surprised if development work has started already...
The X-Files 3
The low cost of making an X-Files movie certainly increases the chances of the long-promised third big screen adventure for Mulder and Scully. The decision lies with 20th Century Fox, with executive producer Frank Spotnitz still pressing for a new film. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have expressed interest in returning, it just needs someone at Fox to champion, and approve the budget, for the project.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Bryan Singer is back on directorial duties in the X-Men franchise with the follow-up to First Class, X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Given the apparent time travel element that's inherent in the story, we're getting two different sets of big screen X-Men starring in this one too. So, whilst it'll be James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence on the one hand, we're also being teased with the appearance of Hugh Jackman, and apparently Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen too. The film's set for July 2014.
xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage
A film that was looking all set to go at one stage, a reboot of the xXx franchise has remained on the starting blocks now for some time. The problem is that Vin Diesel's schedule is rather full, what with Riddick III and Fast & Furious sequels to deal with. Director of the original, Rob Cohen, remains interested in coming back for the third chapter if it does press ahead.
Yogi Bear 2
The Dukes Of Hazzard director Jay Chandrasekhar is the surprising choice to direct Warner Bros' Yogi Bear 2, which is pressing ahead at the studio. We can't raise much enthusiasm to tell you a great deal more about it, save that it's expected to hit cinemas next year. If it has a poster as memorable as the one to the first film though, we'll be sure to let you know.
Zombieland 2
Director Ruben Flesicher has admitted that the chances of the once-suggested Zombieland 2 happening are in decline, although he refused to rule it out altogether. Whether the news that Amazon is making a TV series based around the movie will help or not remains to be seen. Best file this one as a very long shot, though.
Zoolander 2
Ben Stiller looks finally set to get Zoolander 2 off the ground later this year. Last autumn, we heard that Lady Gaga had apparently been offered the role of Derek Zoolander's love interest. Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell are set to reprise their roles, with a release expected now in 2014.
 |