Why Edgar Wright's Baby Driver 2 Hasn't Happened Yet
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It's been a little over eight years since Edgar Wright's "Baby Driver" hit theaters. That means it's been about eight years since Sony Pictures decided they wanted to make "Baby Driver 2" a thing. So is that sequel ever going to happen? Wright has provided an update, albeit one that won't be particularly encouraging for those who wish to see this movie happen.
In a recent interview with The Playlist, while promoting his new movie "The Running Man," Wright addressed the status of "Baby Driver 2." The filmmaker confirmed that a script for the sequel does exist. However, he also explained that there are other factors getting in the way, and many of those factors are out of his control. Here's what Wright had to say:
"There is a script for Baby Driver 2. That is something that actually exists. But most filmmaking depends on factors beyond you—timing, financing, who's available. You're not always completely in control of those things."
Wright previously confirmed in 2021 that the "Baby Driver 2" script was complete but said he'd "have to find a way to make it fun for me." The director doesn't have any interest in doing the same thing twice. Beyond that, it's up to Sony, Wright's schedule with other projects, and the actors involved, among other things.
The first "Baby Driver" made $227 million at the box office against a $34 million budget. Starring Ansel Elgort as Baby alongside a killer supporting cast, it was a major critical and commercial success. While the movie did provide resolution, it also did sort of leave the door open for "the further adventures of Baby and Debora," who was played by Lily James.
Baby Driver 2 has a lot of hurdles to overcome
"I think it's gonna happen," Elgort previously said of the sequel in a 2019 interview. "I think there will be Baby Driver 2. It has a different title, actually. You're gonna have to ask Edgar that, though." As for what that title is? Wright didn't reveal anything on that front in this new interview, so that remains a mystery.
Despite having a script in place, it's easy to see why getting this sequel made would be tricky at this point. For one, even if Wright got started on it tomorrow, by the time it arrived, it would be a full decade between the movies. Gaps that large between sequels can make it tricky to capitalize.
Beyond that, much has happened in the years since "Baby Driver" arrived that has muddied the waters. Back in 2020, Elgort was accused of sexually assaulting a woman by the name of Gabby when she was just 17. Elgort described it as a "brief, legal and entirely consensual relationship" (via Variety). But Elgort has only worked selectively ever since the accusation surfaced. Then there's Kevin Spacey, who had to pay the "House of Cards" production millions of dollars after being accused of sexual harassment. Spacey's character died in the first movie, but it's still a thorn in the side of the whole venture.
Even if the Elgort of it all could somehow be worked out, Wright is a busy, in-demand filmmaker with other movies on his to-do list, including the thriller "The Chain," which entered development in 2020. Looking at the whole picture, at this point, it would be surprising if this sequel ever actually came together. But not everything needs to be a franchise. There's nothing wrong with a good one-and-done.