21 Jump Street Sequel Keeps The Same Directors

As one of the 21 Jump Street movie's biggest naysayers prior to its release, I never could have imagined how much laughter and enjoyment there was to experience in watching the film. And while it would be wonderful to give all of the credit to directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller – whose quirky senses of humor have given us Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and the animated Clone High – just as much of the surprises came from stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, who gave Michael Bacall’s winning script the performances it needed to win over audiences everywhere.

The obvious set up for a sequel, which was recently confirmed, was kind of a slap to the forehead, but in a recent interview with Collider, producer Neal Moritz quelled a few of the stronger sequel fears by revealing Lord and Miller are indeed attached to direct 21 Jump Street 2, and that Bacall’s script is “actively being developed for them.” The directing team was looking to get into a live-action film during the lengthy animation process for their upcoming The Lego Movie, and this seems like the perfect choice.

Moretz also added that they are looking to begin filming in either September or October of this year, looking for a release in the summer of 2014, now that it knows it can hang with the big blockbuster releases. The producer says the sequel will follow the promise of the first film’s final scene, and puts Jenko and Schmidt into college. “There’s some fun to be had in what college they’re going to," he said. "It really just starts there.” He goes on to say this will be the marriage stage in the guys' life, past the relationship building, and that a major goal is in retaining the heart of the first film.

Given the events of the last film, I don’t suppose we’ll be seeing any surprise cameos in this one, however.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.