The 2014 sci-fi/action film Edge of Tomorrow was a hit with critics when it was released, but it had an uphill climb at the box office, barely turning a profit grossing $370.5 million on a $178 million production budget. Still, thanks to the positive word-of-mouth, Edge of Tomorrow found an audience and earned itself a dedicated fan base that enjoyed the "Aliens meets Groundhog Day" nature of the narrative, as well as strong performances by Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. With the reaction from those who have seen Edge of Tomorrow so enthusiastic, the creative team figured there would be interest in a sequel, and Edge of Tomorrow 2 is reportedly coming through the pipeline.
Earlier this year, Race and Frankie & Alice writers Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse signed on to pen the script, with Doug Liman expected to return to the director's chair. The prospect of seeing a followup certainly is interesting, but even the most devout Edge of Tomorrow fans may be wondering where the story can go, since the first film seemed to wrap things up quite nicely. It's obviously something Liman has thought about, and he's teasing that the sequel will be unlike anything viewers have seen.
In an interview with IGN, Liman (who has now signed on to helm Justice League Dark) re-confirmed that Edge of Tomorrow 2 remains on his to-do list. While he could not elaborate on the plot, he did hint that what they have in store could change films forever:
"Yeah, it’s going to revolutionize how people make sequels. It really will."
That's definitely an intriguing statement, and it raises a number of questions about the movie. Sequels, of course, are nothing new for the industry and have been made for decades on end. Some of them, such as The Godfather Part II, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Dark Knight, were ambitious and daring in their approach; the argument can be made that they were (and still are) heavily influential in how followups are designed. It's encouraging to hear that Liman and crew have set their bar so high, but without much to go off of, it's difficult to say how exactly Edge of Tomorrow will accomplish those goals. Some viewers may consider this quote as nothing more than a director hyping up a future project, but it's better that the team wants to push the envelope and do something fresh.
Unfortunately, it may be a while before audiences see this plan come into fruition. Liman has signed on to direct numerous films. In addition to Justice League Dark, he's also lined up to helm an adaptation of the YA novel Chaos Walking with Daisy Ridley and recently became attached to another sci-fi movie in Unearthed. Cruise will also be busy with Mission: Impossible 6 next year, so it remains to be seen how the production timeline for Edge of Tomorrow 2 falls into place. Cruise's schedule is pretty clear once he wraps up his latest outing as Ethan Hunt, so it will most likely depend on Liman's availability. There's a chance Edge of Tomorrow 2 is put on the back-burner as the director makes his way through his other obligations. Time will tell, but hopefully the revolutionary sequel will make its way to theaters soon.
As of this writing, Edge of Tomorrow 2 is without a release date. We'll keep you updated on its progress.
Source: IGN