Rumors have circulated for years about a possible sequel to Luc Besson’s fantastic 1994 film, The Professional (a.k.a. Leon). The proposed director of the sequel, Olivier Megaton, has told Screen Rant the film will more than likely never happen. But there’s room to be hopeful – because everybody involved still wants to make it.
Mathilda, the title of the sequel, already has a script, written by Besson, with Transporter 3 director Olivier Megaton in line to helm the project. Megaton is in Chicago to shoot the Zoe Saldana assassin movie Colombiana and discussed the rough development process.
Apparently, when The Professional was first completed, there were immediate plans to film a sequel following the main character, Mathilda (Natalie Portman). However, everybody wanted to wait for Portman to get a bit older – so that she could reprise the character at a more mature age.
While the filmmakers were waiting on Portman to age, Besson moved on from the production company that helped distribute The Professional, creating his own company, EuropaCorp. None too happy about the loss, the original studio has held The Professional rights close to the vest – and will not budge. Therefore, Besson cannot continue with his creative process.
In the film, Portman portrays 12-year-old Mathilda (for which she earned the top spot on our list of favorite performances by a child actor). Her family is murdered and her neighbor, Leon (Jean Reno) takes her in – and an awkward, yet charming, relationship develops. Her main goal is to study his talents as a hitman – so she can exact revenge.
Without ruining the film, she is more than able by the end of film – yet never accomplishes the feat. Mathilda would catch up with the titular character years later as she fulfills her revenge.
The development standstill is even more unfortunate because, as Megaton explained, Natalie Portman still wants to make the movie. Everybody involved is in for a sequel, everyone except the studio that controls the rights to the story.
This is essentially where Colombiana comes into play, which Megaton feels is as close to a Professional sequel as we’ll ever see. Although the characters and background are different, the film follows Zoe Saldana’s character as she seeks revenge for the murder of her parents when she was a child.
If you are still hoping for the Mathilda film, don’t abandon all hope. But this is a wake-up call for anybody expecting it to happen anytime soon.
Besson has filled the void with femme fatales in Nikita and now Colombiana. Both of which could enhance the possibility of The Professional sequel - or simply replace it.
If a sequel did happen, what would you like to see? Are you still going to remain hopeful for a Mathilda film? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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i wouldnt see this unless Besson directed it himself, even if it were to get made.
Definetly do a sequel, definetly Besson, but not about revenge , but how Matilda would be shaped by the past & what she would do with her life, hopefully as the next “professional”
While Natalie Portman’s performance is my favorite performance by a child actor too,
the performances of Gary Oldman and Jean Reno are the necessary magic
that makes this film memorable and I fear any sequel would
have only a cursory connection to the original.
I agree Gary Oldman is number 2 on my list of all-time favorite actors (behind the great James Stewart!).
That scene where he lifts his head up to swallow the pill always gets me pumped up hahaha.
Agreed. I’m afraid a sequel wouldn’t play out like it should…
i think this is one of the few great films i wouldnt mind a sequal too. Natalie Portman has a good eye for movies and never really does a bad one (she did Star Wars early in her career and followed through with it. movies may have lagged but she sould still get some respect for it.)
of course it is just as easy to screw this up. without Reno or Oldman in the sequal, it will not have the same effect on us. therefore it will have to one-up the first film.
i can already tell you the movie (good or bad) is gonna flop like Kick-Ass or Scott Pilgrim but even those movies were well reviewed and have a strong fan following. i’m on the fence about whether they SHOULD make this movie but i cant ignore the fact that there is a strong disire in my head to see this movie through.
kick ass didnt flop it made 96 million of a 30 million budget.
And thats not counting the huge DVD revenue Kick Ass is supposedly raking in. I will buy it when it eventually comes out!
the budget doesnt cover marketing charges and it only made $45 million in the US. while it is technecally a success with a $30 million budget. the studio and experts were predicting a triple digit revenue and were dissappointed with it overall.
Point is… dont expect this movie to do well at the box office. though “The Professional” is well known amongst movie nerds and critics, it isnt a big name in the mainstream world. people would be turned off that it is a small scale action film, smart, and a sequal of a movie they havent seen or maybe even heard of.
I have never heard LEON referred to as The Proffesional before, what a horrid alternate title.
it was called the professional in the u.s, “leon the professional” overseas
My DVD just says Leon.
I heard of it before, it just sucks the emotion out. Léon just fits for the mood of the film. The Professional just sounds as another action flick. And the title of Mathilda would fit perfectly. I surely hope they don’t try it as The Professional 2 or something like that.
Anyways, I really don’t need a sequel, the original is perfect, let it be. The film just wouldn’t feel right with modern filming techniques.
You’re right there. While a sequel is a nice idea, if it was less than perfect then it would tarnish the original, which is an absolute classic.
The original VHS copy I own in the US reads “The Professional.” It was a b**** to find as that was the title I knew the movie by and it took me a while to realize it and “Leon” were the same movie.
I would see it. Though revenge wouldn’t be necessary cause everyone involved in her familys deaths got killed by leon!
I’m in agreement with Steven- although timeless, there was a sense of grittiness to Leon, which would be absent in the event of a sequel. Despite my initial intrigue into an addition to one of my all-time favourite movies, I can’t seem to think of anything they could bring to the table without Reno or Oldman, but then again, that’s probably why I’m not a writer…
Bring Reno back in either flashbacks or as a ghostly mentor for Mathilda.
I think that’s exactly what I’m afraid it would be like. Reno can’t be in it, he died, and bringing him back as a ghost or flashback would just be spawning off the success of the original. If there was to be a sequel it would need something original.
Reno wouldnt look right even in flashbacks though, he’s well aged, not to mention gained a bit of weight. not to mention, Luc himself needs to direct it. to hand ot over to someone else, i dont care who it is, is blaspheomy.
Exactly. I wasnt suggesting they should do it, just what I probably think they would do. They wouldnt be able to resist, or they would use Reno in a dream sequence. Something awful. This film just shouldnt be made, some films need a good sequel IE Jumper, some (Leon) do not.
They could always take inspiration from John Woo, ala A Better Tommorrow where Chow Yun Fat’s character was killed off…but Yun Fat returned for the sequel as the brother to the character.
I am in no way a fan of Leon/Professional. But if there was a way to sneak in Jean Reno through a back door, I’m sure they would find a way…
I think this is one of the few great films. i really liked it.
and as such mandy, short of Besson directing it, theres no reason for a sequel
I would want to see a part 2 but its hard to imagine with our Oldman as the main villian, i mean in the end she does’nt even have a reason to be a “Hitgirl” so to say, Leon kills everyone so what would she doing in in this movie unless it plays out something like Leon where she saves a boy or girl from getting killed but then again that would feel more like a reboot/remake….. HUH??? i wonder what the script/story is like i’d love to read that……..
Good
Look, all you folks can tell me ad nauseum how one movie sucked and another movie wet the bed, but now here we get to a discussion about a possible sequel to one of the most overrated, the most plot holed, the most implausible…and all of the Kool-Aid drinkers think it’s the best thing since Edison’s light bulb. I’m still floored by the response of the recent poll, and I’m even more baffled as the love of this film.
I hated The Professional. I thought it was a heap of garbage with flies buzzing around it. I can’t, and never will, understand the l-o-v-e for this piece of waste but what do I know. There are films I like or love which you might think sucked two hours out of your precious life span. To each his own.
GOOD.
Now we can get to a film which is, in essence, another worthless revenge picture and all go nuts over it because it’s what “the sequel” might have been like. And by the fella who handed us the death of The Transporter series.
Oooohhh so exciting!!!!
I’m just melting with anticipation!
Face the music. Aside from The Fifth Element Luc Besson hasn’t directed anything all that great. Not the Messenger. Not The Big Blue. Oh, it’s Transporter 3 director who would have helmed the sequel to The Professional. How thrilling!
Excitement! Celebration!
Let sleeping dog lie.
Dead ones too.
You’re telling me that Natalie Portman didn’t knock your socks off in this movie? She was terrific!
I have to ask which version you saw. There are two distinct cuts. The (crappy) American cut, which is the one called “The Professional”, or the international cut, which is the one called “Leon” (aka “Leon: The Professional” here in the states).
Second, Transporter 3 was way, way better than Transporter 2, so if anything Megaton rejuvenated the franchise. Though, admittedly, it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the first.
Frankly, the fact that Luc Besson has actually written the script is all I need. Well, that and Portman reprising her role.
I thought no personal attacks were allowed here. Some people happen to like Luc Besson movies. It’s all just entertainment. Leaving gratification to the imagination. To each his own, as you said. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. No need for all the insupportable comments. Are you having a bad life or something? Some people like to dream and imagine. So why spoil it for them? Due to a personal preference.
“Mathilda would catch up with the titular character years later as she fulfills her revenge.”
Just exactly how would Mathilda “fulfill her revenge” and on who? Leon effectively killed all of the bent cops involved in the killing of her family, especially her little brother, and then finally blew both himself and Stansfield (Oldman) to smithereens. There’s no one left for her to get revenge on.
So I’m really curious as to whom she is going to get revenge on, in a fulfilling way too.
I personally wouldn’t want to see a sequel, Besson or no Besson.
I agree. The original would be diminished by trying to sequelize it…leave it alone.
Being as it’s usually difficult to get original accomplices to come back to sequels – - let alone 16 years after the original – - I do want to know what became of this girl. Does she stick with her schooling and become successful? Did she drop out again and become an assassin herself? Does she have a family that’s in the wrong place at the wrong time and she needs to call upon those oh-so-useful skills taught to her by Leon all those years ago (including liberal flashbacks of Jean Reno)?
But I won’t be upset if it doesn’t happen. I don’t want ghosts or a mysterious twin brother. I could see her being traumatized that she “sees” Leon and has ever since she was a child, that way he could grow old with her.
I’m torn…
its almost gaurateed she becomes an assassin
Guaranteed by whom?
I Love the original to but I think a sequel would be a mistake. That movie is a perfect self contained story, their is no one for her to get revenge on, all the bad guys were dead.
I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ,THAT MATHILDA FINDS LOVE WITH SOMEONE LIKE
LEON,BUT WITH A DIFERENT CHARACTER. THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE,REVENGE IS OUT OF THE EQUATION.WHAT REALY AMAZED ME IS THE FACT THAT BOTH WERE IN
LOVE BUT APART FROM FULFILLING IT .BECAUSE OF AGE ISSUES.
I’m definitely up for a sequel. I thought Geena Davis did a great job in Long Kiss Goodnight. I think it’s time for another good female assassin character study.
I think it would be a great idea of doing a sequel. I thought of writing it. I believe “Tony” ripped off Leon and Mathilda. I can see her going back to collect what Leon left for her, her part in the hits she assisted with, and either cleaning Tony’s clock or taking new cleaning jobs!
While Matilda would be certainly a highly entertaining film, can it really be the sequel to The Professional? Jean Reno put a stamp on “TP” that no one else could have done. Clearly Leon was a severely damaged and flawed man that at the end redeems himself in some sort of left handed manner. That is the “charm” behind “The Professional”. Any sequel has to explore that theme or it becomes simply another hot babe blowing things up. While not exactly an unattractive idea, it is not really in keeping with the legacy of “The Professional”.
Yes, a sequel with Portman and Besson at the helm would be awesome at this stage
OK, everybody here of concern. Listen Up ! IMAGINATION is the key here. As in any Idea of Production. Where there’s a will,there’s a way. Yes the Hero is sacraficed. The bad guys are gone. And the Damsel moves on. Even though, there is a way to produce an awsome sequel to this screenplay. I believe this to be so true. That I have been in the process of writing a screenplay myself,for this sequel. When I am finished I would like to compair it with Luc’s version to see how close I realy was. I don’t care what anybody says. I like Luc Besson movies a lot. They seem to free my imagination. Thanks Luc Besson Sinerely dc p.s. just saw Angela A and realy enjoyed it.Merci Beaucoup Luc J’ espere que nous rencontrons un jour
Personally, I would prefer to see another movie with Jean Reno as another hitman. I loved the Professional and always hoped to see him in another similar film, like what Matt Damon has done with the Borne series.
Mathilda?I hope so…
Mathilda fans need to start making some noise. If there is a big enough demand for a second one it will get made.
tengo el guion para la secuela de leon el profesional., por favor me gustaria conectarme con el señor luc besson .,quiero su su comentario.saludos desde argentina
I really wanted to see this film’s sequel. It really would be a great movie. But it’s a shame that money and bureaucracy are stronger than art. So i don’t think this sequel will come out and i’m sorry for that!
I go back and forth on this. There’s no way a sequel would be as good as the original for the simple fact it would not have Jean Reno or Gary Oldman. But I’d still watch it. A semi-OK Mathilda, or even a bad one, wouldn’t ruin Leon. If anything it would enhance its greatness. So I guess I say yes to a sequel, just out of curiosity, but I would be just fine without one, also.
I feel that they should do the sequel while Ms. Portman is still of age. I guess like everything it’s all about money. Why else would they stall. Look at it this way, the studios have a window too. Theirs will be closing as well. :-/
“Exclusive: Olivier Megaton Says Sequel to ‘The Professional’
Unlikely” actually causes me think a little bit further.
I enjoyed every single piece of this post. Many thanks -Mercedes
A good sequel can be easily made with one character going forward. It would be kind of redundant since Ghost in the Shell, Nikita, Columbiana and especially Girl With The Dragon Tattoo stole some of TP’s thunder and originality, but it would still be worthwhile.
I think Matilda would age out in the foster care system, making a go at a normal life , but not succeeding. Her precocious sexuality would come to full fruition in troubling ways. She doesn’t have normal relationships with guys her own age, and has a very deep platonic relationship with another much older man, who might be a benefactor. In a movie I’d make her some kind of go between for sex workers and the police, the audience never knowing if she’s an escort herself or how she makes a living ’til half way through the film. She drops in on the case of a sex trafficking ring and decides to take it on herself, digging out corruption as she goes