Is there any hope for Seventh Son 2, and would cast members like Ben Barnes or Alicia Vikander return? It was arguably Alex Garland's 2014 sci-fi drama Ex Machina that gave Alicia Vikander her breakthrough, where she received praise for her work as a robot with a discerning level of humanity. In the years that followed, Vikander would jump between more mainstream offerings like Tomb Raider or The Man From U.N.C.L.E., combined with award-worthy fare like The Danish Girl.
One of her earliest brushes with big-budget filmmaking was Seventh Son in 2014. Adapted from the fantasy novel The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, Seventh Son cast Ben Barnes as Tom Ward, the new apprentice of a monster hunter named Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges). Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son, and the two face off against the powerful witch Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore). Tom also ends up falling in love with Alicia Vikander's Alice, who is a young witch also.
Seventh Son's release also featured the likes of Kit Harington of Game of Thrones fame, and Djimon Hounsou. The ending left the door wide open for more adventures with Tom, Gregory, and perhaps Alice. So, will a Seventh Son 2 happen?
Seventh Son Was A Box-Office Disappointment
Seventh Son was originally set for release in early 2013, but various studio issues saw it delayed many times. When it finally opened in 2015, it received roundly mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $110 million worldwide. Factoring in the movie's estimated $95 million budget and marketing costs, it seems unlikely it broke even.
There Has Been No Talk Of A Seventh Son Sequel
While actor Ben Barnes spoke of possible Seventh Son follow-ups while promoting the first movie, there's been little to no talk of a sequel since the film underperformed in 2015. While it's not unheard of for a financial disappointment to still receive a sequel, there seems to be little audience appetite for one. Seventh Son doesn't seem to have gathered any real cult following, while its young actors like Barnes and Vikander have moved on to bigger projects.
Seventh Son 2 Isn't Happening
The chances of Seventh Son 2 receiving a greenlight now appear slim to none. The series of books the movie was based on received many sequels, so there's plenty of source material to mine, but it's hard to see any of the talents involved returning to the franchise. Maybe the books would be better served with either a reboot or a TV series that can really flesh out the world, but a Seventh Son 2 is now very unlikely.
Why It’s A Good Thing There’s No Seventh Son Sequel Planned
One reason that it's good Seventh Son 2 was shelved is because of the first movie's poor reception. Seventh Son sits at a low 12% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics-wise, and has a 34% audience score. Some of the largest complaints call the movie dull, criticize the inability to understand dialogue, and lament that Seventh Son was so packed with content that the plot was illegible. While people are generally more forgiving than critics, the numbers act as a death knell for any sequel possibility. Given that the first film was a commercial flop, studios wouldn't want to risk their cash on something that failed so hard the first go around. Despite Seventh Son featuring an all-star cast, with the likes of Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore, it certainly wasn't enough to save the movie — much less warrant a second installment.
Even if there is more ground to cover with the novels, not every movie needs a sequel. While some reboots and sequels have the chance to breathe new life into a franchise, it's doubtful that studios would want to throw their money at something that's been proven to be a flop. Therefore, it's just better that Seventh Son 2 never happened.