Sequel Bits: 'Ghostbusters 3', 'How To Train Your Dragon 3', 'Jay And Silent Bob Reboot', 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse', 'Bad Boys 3'
In this edition of Sequel Bits:
Jason Reitman's Ghostbusters 3 is gearing up to start shooting very soon, and now we know where: Canada! To be specific, in Calgary, the city in Alberta. Reports indicate the film will shoot "15 weeks in Calgary beginning on or about June 25." So if you live in Alberta, be on the look-out for the Ecto-1 cruising down the street. And speaking of Ghostbusters 3, Ghostbusters reboot star Melissa McCarthy has nothing but love for the project. There's been some controversy over certain statements from Reitman regarding the sequel, with some accusing him of trying to erase the reboot from history. And Leslie Jones, who appeared in the film, seemed none too pleased about the idea when it was first announced. ET caught up with Melissa McCarthy recently, and the actress offered support, saying: "I'm for anybody who's making movies. I talked to Jason about it. He's just always had this idea, and his [idea] goes back to the world where the guys did exist and I'm like, 'I want to see that.' I'm all for it. I say like, 'Tell the story.'" Ghostbusters 3 opens July 10, 2020.
The How to Train Your Dragon series has (allegedly) come to an end with the recently released How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. But studios always have a hard time letting things go, and it wouldn't be surprising if DreamWorks decided to give the franchise another go in the future. According to How to Train Your Dragon writer and director Dean DeBlois, that's fine – as long as they focus on some new characters. "I think if DreamWorks decided to open it up at some point, I hope it would be a different timeline," DeBlois said, "different characters with the Hiccup/Toothless story remained intact." Hopefully DreamWorks will listen to him.
Kevin Smith is shooting Jay and Silent Reboot, and as is to be expected, he's bringing back some familiar faces and locations. In the first Instagram pic above, you can see Brodie's Secret Stash, the comic book store owned by Chasing Amy character Brodie Bruce. The shop was introduced in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. And of course, you can't have Brodie's Secret Stash without Brodie himself, which means actor Jason Lee is back as well (in the second Instagram pic). All of this will no doubt trigger a wave of nostalgia for fans of Smith's films. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is expected to open this fall.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse just took home an Oscar for Best Animated Film, and rightfully so. A sequel is in the works, along with potential spin-offs. So what comes next? Directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman have some ideas, but they'd also like everyone to cool down and enjoy the moment. A big part of Into the Spider-Verse's appeal was how visually inventive it was. Which means a sequel would probably have to be even more visually inventive. Speaking with Syfy, Rothman said: "Everyone feels excited, and the hope is to just keep pushing and to keep surprising people. And you also have the gift of a really great young character where there's more to tell, there's a family around that character, there's a lot to do there." To which Persichetti added:
"I'll just say, trying to think about the future, another movie, whatever, the relationship that we all built over the course of this film felt like a very specific special moment, in the sense that we did all kind of come together to raise the whole movie up and there was such a real true collaboration. We had the material, then the team to do it, and then the crew that was so passionate and willing to give up everything to try to make something feel and look different. All of those things kind of came together in a wonderful moment for us. So the idea of trying to recreate that is such a daunting task that right now it's like, let's ride this out, for at least another four days."
Will Smith is clearly enjoying filming Bad Boys 3, as he's continuously uploading amusing moments from the production to his Instagram account. The latest is this "script reading", in which nearly everything is bleeped out in order to avoid spoilers. In the upcoming sequel, officially titled Bad Boys for Life, Smith and Martin Lawrence return once again to get involved in an over-the-top case where surely everyone will be firing guns. The action film is due out January 17, 2020.