Sandra Bullock Isn't Writing Off Sequels Anymore
What's your favorite Sandra Bullock sequel? That's sort of a trick question because, as Bullock herself admits, she's only done two and "they were horrible." The first was "Speed 2: Cruise Control," which followed up on her breakout role in "Speed," but which, 25 years later, has a ... wait for it ... 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Yikes! The second was "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous," which likewise sits at an abysmal 16% on the Tomatometer.
I know we've probably long since moved past citing these kinds of scores as proof of anything other than subjective movie review aggregation ... but still. When you juxtapose those scores with Bullock's own comments, it's not difficult to see why she once pledged never to do a sequel again. This was, as The Hollywood Reporter details, around the time of "The Heat," Bullock's 2013 buddy cop comedy with Melissa McCarthy. That year, Bullock said in no uncertain terms:
"I'm not doing a sequel to 'The Heat.' I've done two sequels. They were horrible. What Melissa and I had was beautiful. We might do another film together. I think we should do a silent film together."
Since then, however, Bullock has rethought her stance on sequels. While out promoting her new film, "The Lost City," with Channing Tatum, she said:
"I had a 'no sequel' rule when I didn't have the benefit of fighting for what I really wanted. I feel like, in my old age, I'm learning to fight for the things that I think would be best on screen — and I don't care who comes away from the meeting angry."
Give us Ocean's Nine
Bullock cited Liza Chasin, her co-producer on "The Lost City," as a factor in getting her to reconsider her "no sequel" rule. She explained:
"[Liza and I] are type A. We've known each other since the beginning of time. We both take what we do very seriously. We know that no one pays attention to us usually because we're women. No one thinks that [an] actress is really going to be a producer, so that's good, they look away and ignore you."
Personally, when I hear the words "Sandra Bullock" and "potential sequel" in the same sentence in my head, my mind immediately goes to one place: the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise. Director Steven Soderbergh gave us his version of a superhero series with a trilogy of heist films fronted by men: "Ocean's Eleven," "Ocean's Twelve," and "Ocean's Thirteen." Then, in 2018, the franchise rolled back its numbering to "Ocean's Eight," with Bullock and Cate Blanchett stepping in to lead the new all-star ensemble of women in place of George Clooney and Brad Pitt and their boy's club.
Starting at "Ocean's Eight" would seemingly leave room for "Ocean's Nine" and "Ocean's Ten," a complete new trilogy of women-fronted films to fill the gap between "Eight" and "Eleven." If Bullock ever does another sequel, I would certainly be there to watch "Ocean's Nine," and I'm sure general audiences would turn out for it, as well. Maybe they could even bring back Clooney's character, Danny Ocean, from the dead and do a big, mega-sequel, guys-and-gals team-up for "Ocean's Fourteen."
In the meantime, Bullock's "The Lost City," which is not a sequel, rolls into theaters on March 25, 2022.