Sequel Bits: 'Space Jam', 'Saw', 'Ghostbusters', 'Coming 2 America', 'Gremlins', 'Iron Sky', 'The Boy', 'Bill And Ted'
In this edition of Sequel Bits:
Space Jam is a terrible movie, but people seem to love it. And now it's getting a sequel, even though for the longest time it seemed like it would never happen. If you're having trouble believing the sequel is the real deal, you're not alone. LeBron James, the star of the film, and the person who has been pushing for the sequel all these years, can't believe it himself:
Man this really just hit me! I'm really shooting Space Jam 2!! This is so surreal and doesn't even make sense to me! Where I come from man and what I saw growing up this doesn't add up to me! 🤦🏾♂️! I'm truly grateful and beyond blessed. This is CRAZINESS. 🏀 🐰 🎥 👑🙏🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 25, 2019
As excited as James may be about this whole endeavor, Charles Barkley, who appeared in the first film, doesn't share the enthusiasm. Speaking with ET, the former basketball star said: "Listen, I don't care. Space Jam 1 was amazing. We don't need 2. Space Jam 1 was a classic. I don't like when people try to imitate something that was already good." Space Jam 2 will slam into theaters July 16, 2021.
Speaking of projects people have a hard time believing are real, that Saw sequel/reboot starring Chris Rock starts shooting soon. How soon? Next week soon. Director Darren Lynn Bousman confirmed as much on Twitter:
Start shooting the new Saw film in just a few days. Something I never thought I be typing again! Gotta be honest. No one is ready for the insanity about to bleed out on screen!
— Darren_Bousman (@darren_bousman) June 25, 2019
We still don't know what the movie will be about, but we know Rock came up with the idea, and we also know it won't be a comedy. The new Saw opens October 23, 2020.
That new Ghostbusters movie, which is apparently called Ghostbusters 2020 now, is going to connect to the original film in a way never seen before. At least, that's what Dan Aykroyd says. Speaking with Gamespot, the O.G. Ghostbuster stated, "[Director] Jason [Reitman] came up with this idea, which is just so good, everybody got it right away and understood. It will connect, better than anything, to the first movie...That's about all I can say about it, but the two movies will connect, in a way that hasn't been done before." It's hard to guess what Aykroyd means here, so we might just have to wait until the film arrives on July 10, 2020.
After years of false-starts and rumors, Coming to America 2, or Coming 2 America as it's called, is on track. Craig Brewer is directing the sequel, with original star Eddie Murphy set to return. Variety reports the film has added a new cast member: Jermaine Fowler. Fowler is set to play one of the film's leads, but details about his character aren't available at this time. In the original movie, Murphy played an African prince who decided to escape his responsibilities, and an arranged marriage, by coming to New York City. Coming 2 America opens August 7, 2020.
I don't think "Back to the Future 4" will ever happen. As for "Gremlins 3," the guys and I have an amazing take and would love to make it! #Gremlins https://t.co/tgQfVnQa5d
— Jon Hurwitz (@jonhurwitz) June 22, 2019
As you can see above, Jon Hurwitz, writer of Harold and Kumar and director of Cobra Kai, has an idea for Gremlins 3! What is it? Well...he's not saying. The rest of the thread beneath that tweet is Hurwitz dancing around revealing what his idea is. But rest assured, he has one. Will it ever happen? Probably not! Does it need to happen? No, not really! But somewhere out there, on Jon Hurwitz's computer, is a file called GREMLINS 3 IDEA. Maybe.
Iron Sky: The Coming Race, the sequel to Iron Sky, was announced way back in 2013. Now, the film is ready to see the light of day. In the film, "Following the devastating aftermath of nuclear war on Earth, a former Nazi Moonbase has become the last refuge for mankind. Limited supplies and overpopulation threaten the survivors until Obi, the leader's daughter, finds a map pointing to a power buried deep under Earth's wasted surface that could save mankind or destroy it once and for all. When an old enemy leads our heroes on an adventure into the Hollow Earth, they must fight an ancient shapeshifting reptilian race to save humanity." While I'm a big fan of trashy movies, I don't go in for this sort of thing – where the people are intentionally trying to make trash. But if you're into that, this might be up your alley. Iron Sky: The Coming Race opens in theaters, On Demand and on Digital on Friday, July 19, 2019.Brahms: The Boy 2 was originally set to open in July. I had a feeling that was going to change, because here we are in June, and the horror sequel hadn't even bothered to release a trailer yet. Sure enough, the film has now moved to a December 6th, 2019 release. Which means we'll all have to wait a little longer before we get to see that creepy doll again. In The Boy 2, "Unaware of the terrifying history of Heelshire Mansion, a young family moves into the estate, where their young son soon makes an unsettling new friend, an eerily life-like doll he calls Brahms."
Finally, in Bill and Ted 3 news, we have two updates. First: Bill and Ted's respective wives have been cast. These characters have appeared in the previous films – first introduced in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure as princesses Bill and Ted rescue, and then revealed to be their girlfriends in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. Now, they're married. And this time, they're played by Jayma Mays and Erinn Hayes. Per Deadline, Mays will play Princess Joanna, Bill's wife, while Hayes is Ted's wife Princess Elizabeth. Meanwhile, when asked online which film the new sequel (which is officially called Bill and Ted Face the Music) would be closer to, writer Ed Solomon provided an answer:
That's fine, I guess, but I've always preferred Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, just because it was so damn weird. Bill and Ted Face the Music opens August 21, 2020.