Coventry Telegraph is reporting that Angelina Jolie will be back - apparently from the dead - for Wanted 2. That’s right, in order for Wanted 2 to have a snowball’s chance in hell, somebody has cut Angelina Jolie a big enough check to return as “Fox” for another go at a half-decent movie based on a half-decent graphic novel.

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This week:

The box office has a severe Hangover; Vertigo tries to find the real Exorcist; Ed Neumeier talks RoboCop; Angelina Jolie is Wanted; Megan Fox is a Vampire Slayer and Dwayne Johnson goes Commando.

Last week, we reported Evan Spiliotopoulos was set to write Wanted 2–the other comic book movie. Yeah, you read that right, the writer who wrote Pooh’s Heffalump Movie and The Nutty Professor is writing the sequel to last year’s just-above-average summer “blockbuster.” Mark Millar, graphic novel creator and producer of the sequel, tried to quiet concerns but the Spiliotopoulos’ repertoire speaks for itself.

Millar, opting to create a story with producers instead of writing another comic book, had a number of comments on his message board regarding the issue. He had this to say in response:

In this Weeks spell check busting installment: Matthew McConaughey is an Exchange Student; Heffalump writer Spiliotopoulos will write Bekmambetov’s Wanted 2 - will Angelina Jolie be involved? Megan Fox is Crossing over; John Carter of Mars is Chabon and which one of the Watchmen has Morning Glory for Star Trek’s Abram?

Earlier this summer, Paramount Pictures officially announced Beverly Hills Cop 4 would grace the silver screen. This despite the fact that they had yet to hire screenwriters and didn’t even have a story in place. They only had Eddie Murphy signed on to return and Brett Ratner was “in negotiations” to direct.

Cut to a few months later, and we now  have screenwriters, ladies and germs!

Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (i.e. the screenwriting duo behind 3:10 to Yuma and Wanted) have been officially hired after submitting an outline/treatment that was given the thumbs up by studio big-wigs, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Ratner and Murphy himself.

I guess this takes Brandt and Haas out of Wanted 2 despite earlier reports.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 will begin filming next year for a Summer 2010 release.

Source: Variety

I don’t think that you need me to say that Hollywood loves a franchise - but darn it - I just said it. If it’s not a franchise then it’s just not worth it, and that seems to be the case with Wanted. The James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie starrer has recently crossed the magic $100 million barrier and now Universial Pictures wants a sequel.

“Easily done” I hear you say.

Not quite. There’s a problem or two.

Beware there are major Wanted Spoilers below.