Netflix's 'Bright' Sequel Is Officially Happening, Without Max Landis

2018 is just getting Bright-er by the minute.

A sequel to the critically maligned, inexplicably popular Bright has officially been greenlit by Netflix, which will bring back director David Ayer and stars Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. The one upside is that polarizing screenwriter Max Landis will not be returning for the Bright sequel.

Now, I'm not denying that there are people who genuinely like the film — with the disparity between audiences and critics growing every day, people should be able to like what they like. But to all the hate-watchers, to all the people who gleefully watched Bright so they could ironically tweet about it: you contributed to this. In its announcement of the Bright sequel, Netflix revealed that that Bright was "the highest viewed Netflix film ever on the service in its first week of release and one of the biggest originals (including sequels/additional seasons) Netflix has ever launched." Not only that, but in each of the 190-plus countries in which Netflix is available, Bright is reportedly the number one movie, with "more people viewing the film internationally than domestically."

The David Ayer-directed, Max Landis-penned fantasy thriller premiered on Netflix on December 22, 2017 to abysmal reviews, with critics raking its clunky racial metaphors across the coals and some crowning Bright as one of the worst movies of the year. But that didn't stop 11 million people from watching the movie in its first three days of release, nor did it stop Netflix's obnoxiously aggressive social media ad campaign. Just watch the hip video it released to announce the sequel.

How edgy.

But maybe the sequel could be marginally better. David Ayer will take over script-writing duties from Max Landis, who Netflix reportedly paid $3-4 million for his screenplay back in 2016...a script that was nearly universally panned as one of the worst parts of the film. Beyond that, Netflix has taken some heat on social media over the growing controversy and potential allegations surrounding Landis.

Despite Ayer's recent turn to blockbusters with Suicide Squad and Bright, the director is known for writing and directing well-crafted action and thriller films like End of Watch, and could heed the criticism of the first film to produce a better sequel. He's shown a humble approach to the scathing reviews. But maybe this time don't make Will Smith spew a line like "Fairy lives don't matter."

Set in an alternate present-day, this action-thriller directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad, End of Watch, writer of Training Day) follows two cops from very different backgrounds (Ward, a human played by Will Smith, and Jakoby, an orc played by Joel Edgerton) who embark on a routine patrol night that will ultimately alter the future as their world knows it. Battling both their own personal differences as well as an onslaught of enemies, they must work together to protect a thought-to-be-forgotten relic, which in the wrong hands could destroy everything.