While Columbia Pictures is currently having a hit with The Amazing Spider-Man in theaters, one of the most raved about films of the entire year has been 21 Jump Street. Perhaps the best comedy of 2012 so far, the successful reboot of the crime drama into a buddy cop comedy on the big screen was loved by critics and audiences with a sequel put into development just weeks after. Now that it’s been four months since, Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall have been working for some time on the script for the second outing. Now, it seems Columbia wants the film out just as fast as possible which could lead to a filming start sooner than expected.
Talking with THR, Columbia’s Doug Belgrad was asked just if the studio will make another 21 Jump Street. His response? ”Yes, we plan to start shooting in the fall. There are very few actors — I’m going to quote Amy — who can do romance, action and comedy. We’re in business with two of them, Channing Tatum and Will Smith”.
And while this seems like fantastic news, has Belgrad seen how cramped Tatum’s schedule is? Not only will Tatum be working on next summer’s action blockbuster White House Down starting next month, but he’s also set for multiple other features that with The Wachowski Brothers’ high profile sci-fi feature Jupiter Ascending with Mila Kunis (also set to film this fall) just being the tip of the iceberg. Besides being attached to numerous efforts, the actor also announced he’s helping develop the sequel to the surprise smash Magic Mike with a filming date likely for some time next year.
As of right now, we’d take the filming news with just a grain of salt. However if there is a chance the wheels could get rolling on the sequel by the end of this year, there’s also a possibility 21 Jump Street 2 could become the R-rated comedy of next summer. Though it could still sneak into August for a late-season smash, this is all of course in a theoretical sense.
Not to mention while directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord may seem currently busy with Lego: Piece of Resistance, the duo have still expressed interest in working in a live action movie while the entire crew of the Lego film heads to Australia for the animation studios. The two plan to stay behind and manage the film from Santa Monica which could leave them plenty open to start shooting a sequel if the studio demands.
As for Jonah Hill, the Oscar-nominated actor’s next comedic effort kicks off later this month with The Watch but he also has the high-profile drama The Wolf of Wall Street to film next month where he plays a key player. The adaptation will co-star some fellow heavy hitters including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jean Dujardin, Kyle Chandler, Jon Bernthal, Rob Reiner, and others all while being directed by legend Martin Scorsese. His schedule is expected to open up in October or November.
