Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin are confirmed to be reprising their roles in Greenland: Migration, the sequel to the hit disaster thriller. The first film centered on Butler's John Garrity as he and his family must fight for survival when a comet threatening an extinction-level event begins plummeting to Earth. Alongside Butler and Baccarin, the cast for the first film included Scott Glenn, Hope Davis, David Denman, Roger Dale Floyd, and Andrew Bachelor.
After having its release delayed numerous times due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Greenland proved to be one of the surprise hits of 2020, grossing over $52 million at the worldwide box office and receiving solid reviews from critics. Thanks to this success and its large numbers from its SVOD rollout, the producers behind the film have elected to move forward with a sequel with its stars, director Ric Roman Waugh and writer Chris Sparling all returning. Butler is also set to bring his producing cap back as he will help produce and finance the project via his and Alan Siegel's G-Base banner.
Related: Greenland: How Realistic The Sci-Fi Disaster Movie Is
Basil Iwanyk's Thunder Road Pictures and Anton are also confirmed to be returning to produce and finance Migration, aiming to begin principal photography in 2022. The sequel will pick up from the first film's events as the Garrity family must leave the Greenland bunker and set out across the decimated frozen wasteland of Europe in search of a new home. Waugh shared his thoughts on the sequel in a statement:
"Greenland spoke to our humanity in the middle of a global catastrophic event, highlighting what people are capable of doing to one another, both good and bad, when it’s life or death. The irony is we made the first film pre Covid and watched many situations come to reality. I’m really looking forward to the next chapter of The Garritys post the first extinction event.”
The notion of a sequel to Greenland is likely to get a mixed response from critics and audiences alike. Where the first film ends on a hopeful note of rebuilding after the comet's destruction of most of the world, it didn't end in a manner that left many begging for another outing. The rapid nature of the producers turning a sequel out seems to point towards the group's confidence in its potential to recapture the first film's success or are too focused on trying to ride that wave as soon as possible before interest wears out.
That being said, it's hard to deny that the concept of exploring a post-apocalyptic world devastated by a comet isn't something with plenty of potential. Given it chose to focus more on the human side of things than cheap B-movie thrills, Greenland: Migration could very well keep things grounded and deliver another thrilling entry into the disaster genre. But, for now, those who didn't catch the first film can as it is now streaming exclusively on HBO Max.