Well, it sounds like that long-discussed crossover movie between21 Jump Streetand theMen in Blackfranchise may not happen after all. Word first surfaced about the project in the midst of the Sony hack, but it became more “real” earlier this year when Sony Pictures entered talks withThe MuppetsandAlice Through the Looking GlasshelmerJames Bobinto direct.21 Jump Streetand22 Jump StreetdirectorsPhil LordandChris Millerare busy working on theHan Solo movieat the moment and were thus expected to only produce the picture, but it was seen as a way to organically continue theJump Streetfranchise while simultaneously rebooting the studio’s highly lucrativeMen in Blackseries.
With Bobin in line to direct, it seemed as thoughMiB 23was moving full speed ahead, butJonah Hillnow tells theToronto Sun(viaTHR) that the film is unlikely to happen.
“I had the idea, but I doubt that movie will ever get made. They’re trying to make all the deals, but it’s kind of impossible with all theMen in Blackstuff. TheJump Streetfilms were so fun to make and the whole joke of them was they were making fun of remakes and sequels and reboots and then now it’s become a giant sequel, reboot. It’s almost become what we were making fun of and it’s hard to maintain that joke when it’s so high stakes.”
It’s not hard to imagine the development ofMiB 23creating the exact kind of film the movie was intended to poke fun at, so one can understand Hill’s thinking. What made theJump Streetmovies great was their willingness to upend convention and constantly subvert expectations. But when you’re dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars, large-scale effects, and rebooting a massive property, the studio’s likely going to want to err on the side of convention.
Hill was more optimistic about a proper sequel to22 Jump Street, expressing his enthusiasm for working withChanning Tatum, Lord and Miller again, but given the busy schedules, if23 Jump Streethappens it won’t be anytime soon. For now, Sony has yet to officially greenlight or cancelMiB 23, but it doesn’t look good.
