Jack Black Is Game For A School Of Rock Sequel, But With One Condition
In 2003, popular actor Jack Black found himself in the middle of the scandal of the century. He managed to squirm his way into a prep school under false pretenses, committed the misdemeanor of impersonating a teacher named Ned Schneebly for the sake of acquiring a little rent money (the legend of the rent, as we all know, was way past due), and led the students to an epic battle of the bands performance that we're still talking about over two full decades later. It was a whole big thing.
Obviously, "School of Rock" went down in history as one of Black and director Richard Linklater's finest moments, not to mention its impact on the ensemble of incredibly talented child actors, all of whom actually played their respective instruments in the film. (As of 2021, two of the original cast members were even dating each other!) In short, it was the pop-culture event that inspired a whole generation of kids to embrace their inner punk-rock anarchists, eventually leading to a Broadway musical adaptation and even a short-lived Nickelodeon series. So, in that light, it's not terribly surprising that rumors of bringing the band back together and reuniting for a sequel have followed Black, Linklater, and the rest of the creative team ever since.
Now, we're hearing from arguably the man whose opinion matters most. While making the press rounds for the animated sequel "Kung Fu Panda 4" (which /Film's Ethan Anderton reviewed here), Black was interviewed by JOE and confirmed his interest in making a follow-up film. As he put it, referencing the (in)famous 1984 "Breakin'" sequel title:
"I wish there'd be a 'School of Rock 2 Electric Boogaloo.' I'm ready."
Under one condition...
But wait! Before anyone starts printing any "'School of Rock 2' Confirmed!" headlines and shouting them from the street corners (people still do that, right?), Jack Black was quick to name his one big requirement.
Richard Linklater and Black tend to get the lion's share of credit for the film, but may we never forget the contributions of Ned Schneebly himself. Mike White not only starred in the film as the dweeby teacher roommate who has his identity stolen by Black's washed-up rocker Dewey Finn, but he also wrote the screenplay. He's since gone on to gather credits on productions such as the Black-starring "Nacho Libre," the 2017 indie "Beatriz at Dinner," and "Pitch Perfect 3," but he's perhaps most well-known as the creator of the acclaimed HBO series "The White Lotus." Understandably, Black emphasized the importance of having White involved in any potential "School of Rock" sequel. He went on to say:
"You know Mike White wrote the first one and he's a genius. And we'd have to have Mike White back in the saddle, but he's real busy right now with 'White Lotus,' the best show on TV."
There's been no official word about another "School of Rock" film, although it's theoretically possible that the ever-passionate Black could recruit the whole gang for one last encore performance. (If you're wondering what they're all up to these days, wonder no more.) Will it ever happen? Who knows! But even if not, at least we can look forward to plenty of delightful Jack Black shenanigans for as long as he's lending his star power to movies these days.
"School of Rock" is currently streaming on Netflix.