A good gunfighter doesn't flinch when he runs out of bullets. He just reloads. And there have been few gunfighters in the game more proficient than Jerry Bruckheimer. The man looked like he was running on steam recently, as franchises like National Treasure and Bad Boys laid dormant. But the Bruck is back and ready to let you know installments in these series are coming, and coming fast.
In an interview with Collider to promote his latest, Deliver Us From Evil , Jerry Bruckheimer revealed that not only has he read the script for a fifth Pirates Of The Caribbean film but he's hard at work developing the third part of the National Treasure and Bad Boys sagas. It's not a surprise that we'd be getting another Pirates installment, but movement was so slow on Bad Boys 3 and National Treasure 3 that we had given up hope (hope being, perhaps, a strong word) that they would ever happen.
First off, Bruckheimer suggested that this would be a "straight pirates movie" in regards to the fifth film in a series that has already gone around the world, cheated death, and fought mermaids and sea monsters. Bruckheimer has read the script for Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and confirms that, at the very least, there are no Kraken involved this time. This likely means a "back to basics" approach that excited moviegoers in the first film, when Pirates Of The Caribbean was still a risky movie based on a theme park ride. It also likely means a tighter budget. Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was a billion dollar success, but with the weakest domestic gross and poor reviews, it's very possible that the next film will make less money.
There's less info currently available about Bad Boys 3, which will presumably re-team Michael Bay, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Bruckheimer would only confirm that they would have a screenplay in the next three months. When asked to compare Bad Boys to Deliver Us From Evil (sure, whatever), he said,
"... We always focus on the place where the action’s going to take place, which is Miami. We research it and figure out what’s actually going on down in Miami with criminals and what they’re doing. We bring in experts. And that’s how the screenplays evolve."
A third Bad Boys would be difficult to put together, since it would involve billion-dollar Bay, the fickle Smith, and the probably-busy-getting-shopping-done Lawrence. The last picture made $273 million, though the budget was a robust $130 million. For a massive R-rated film, it's a good financial decision to march ahead with part three, but not necessarily a slam dunk.
Finally, in regards to National Treasure 3, Bruckheimer offered that he had just met with the writers and the director. While the scribes were unidentified, the director was indeed Jon Turtletaub, who helmed the first two movies in the series. From the sounds of it, the story hasn't been cracked just yet, but if Bruckheimer is having meetings, then it shouldn't be long before Nicolas Cage gets the call once again. National Treasure: Book Of Secrets grossed a whopping $457 million seven years ago, but Cage and Turtletaub later re-teamed for The Sorcerer's Apprentice which underperformed heavily. It's actually Cage's highest-grossing film since National Treasure, as the star has fallen on hard times and become synonymous with junk. He's mixing it up with independent fare, but a Disney blockbuster sure wouldn't hurt right about now.
