The original was a surprise hit, so why didn’t Hustle & Flow 2 happen? Written and directed by Craig Brewer of Dolemite Is My Name fame, Hustle & Flow was released in 2005 and proved a breakout hit for the second-time filmmaker. The indie drama starred Terrence Howard (Empire) as a Memphis pimp and drug dealer named Djay who dreams of escaping the streets by becoming a hip hop artist with the help of old friend Key (Anthony Anderson, Black-ish).
Alongside Taryn Manning (Orange Is The New Black), DJ Qualls (The Man In The High Castle) and Terrence Howard’s Empire co-star Taraji P. Henson in supporting roles, the cast of Hustle & Flow also featured a whole host of figures from rap and hip hop including Ludacris, Al Kapone and Juicy J and DJ Paul from Three 6 Mafia.
While it was a modest box office success, with worldwide takings of $23.6 million, Hustle & Flow more than made back its tiny budget of $2.8 million. Critics loved the movie too and alongside rave reviews, Terrence Howard received an Academy Award nomination for his performance and Three 6 Mafia took home the Oscar for Best Original Song for “It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp.” With that kind of success, a sequel certainly could’ve happened but why has there been no sign of Hustle & Flow 2?
Terrence Howard Confirmed Hustle & Flow 2 In 2005
In November 2005, a few months after the release of Hustle & Flow, Terrence Howard spoke with MTV at the now defunct Vibe Awards about a sequel. According to a report from ComingSoon.net, Howard seemed certain Hustle & Flow 2 was on the cards and stated to MTV he was excited to get back into character as Djay. While the actor didn’t divulge any plot details, he did state Hustle & Flow 2 was set to start filming in late 2006.
Hustle & Flow 2 Probably Isn’t Happening
Despite Terrence Howard’s assurance a sequel was happening, there hasn’t been any word of Hustle & Flow 2 since. Now, over a decade after the release of the original the likelihood of it happening seems low. That said, there are plenty of sequels out there with a longer gap than 15 years since their predecessor’s release. However, with no recent news on the grapevine about Hustle & Flow 2, the sequel most likely isn’t happening.
Hustle & Flow Could Already Have A Spiritual Sequel
Hustle & Flow 2 might not be likely, but a few film and TV fans have pointed out the original movie may already have a sequel of sorts. Nowadays, Terrence Howard is best known for playing rapper and music mogul Lucious Lyon on Fox's hip hop drama series Empire. The show also stars Taraji P. Henson as Lucious’ on-again, off-again wife Cookie Lyon – a relationship some say mirrors the romance between their Hustle & Flow characters Djay and Shug.
Though there are several differences between Empire and Hustle & Flow, it wouldn’t take the biggest stretch of imagination to see Howard’s Djay become someone like Lucious. Add to that the fact Craig Brewer has directed several episodes of Empire and it looks like the show is the closest fans will get to Hustle & Flow 2.