Edge of Tomorrowis a miracle of a movie, and may become a prime example of goodwill and word of mouth actually pushing a sequel into reality. TheDoug Liman-directed sci-fi film combined a juicy time travel twist with a cowardlyTom Cruisecharacter and a downright badassEmily Bluntperformance to result in a hilarious, surprising, and wildly entertaining ride. The Warner Bros. film grossed $370.5 million at the box office, which isn’t shabby but also not a runaway success given that its budget was near $180 million, meaning a sequel or follow-up seemed like a no-go.
However, people kept findingEdge of Tomorrowon home video, and the fanbase grew so loud that Liman, Cruise, Blunt, and writerChristopher McQuarrieconvened to hash out a sequel (which, it turns out,may actually be a prequel). The follow-up is still in development, but when Collider’s own Steve Weintraub recently sat down with Liman to talk about his new filmAmerican Made, he had to ask about the status ofEdge of Tomorrow 2.
“Tom and Emily [Blunt] and I are really excited to go do it. We have a script. We’re just trying to find a time to schedule it, between my schedule and Emily’s and Tom’s. But it’s one of these things where it’s a sequel whose origins come from the best possible place, which is, it’s not a studio saying, ‘Hey, we think we can make some more money. Let’s just stamp out another one.’ This sequel originated with fans of the original film who continually came up to Tom and myself and Emily and told us how much they loved the movie and would we ever consider a sequel. And enough people said that to me and to Tom and to Emily that we finally sat down and said, ‘What would a sequel even look like?’ We ended up with Chris McQuarrie coming up with a great story.”
Liman confirms thatpreviously announced writersJoe ShrapnelandAnna Waterhousewrote theEdge of Tomorrow 2script under McQuarrie’s supervision (he was busy writing and directingMission: Impossible 6), but indeed the main issue regarding when and ifEdge 2happens is scheduling. Liman just started shooting the YA sci-fi adaptationChaos Walking, which hits theaters in March 2019; Cruise is about to finish upMission: Impossible 6and then start shooting theTop GunsequelMavericknext year; and Blunt just wrappedMarry Poppins ReturnsandA Quiet Placebut remains one of the most in-demand actors working today.
WithChaos Walkinghitting theaters in Spring 2019 andTop Gun: Maverickscheduled for July 2019, it seems like 2019 would be the earliest that cameras might roll onEdge of Tomorrow 2, and that’s assuming Liman, Cruise, and Blunt don’t line upotherbig projects that might get in the way.
The good news is that all involved seem genuinely passionate about makingEdge of Tomorrow 2happen, so it’s not some contractual obligation:
“It really comes from the heart. And by the way, I never worked with Tom on one of these giant tent-pole movies, so I don’t … Everything I’ve ever seen him do or worked with him on comes from the heart in the most pure place. I mean, he is always thinking about his fans. He’s always thinking about the audience. He’s not one of these movie stars that thinks he’s an anointed movie star. He genuinely understands that he’s a movie star because people like his movies. And he wants to deliver for those people.”
So be patient people.Edge of Tomorrow 2might actually happen, but it’s gonna be a bit.
