In the three years since it debuted in theaters, Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow has already gone down as one of the most underrated action flicks of the last decade. Despite a somewhat underwhelming box office return, the science fiction epic received widespread critical acclaim, and it has gone on to amass a rabid cult following. That fanfare led to the recent announcement of a second film in the series (titled Live. Die. Repeat and Repeat), but it now seems that The Bourne Identity director doesn't intend to take the story any further than two movies. The director recently opened up about the future of the Edge of Tomorrow series and explained why he's only going to make two films, saying:
I really see this as a two-movie franchise. There's the completion of the story we set up in the first movie and the relationships between Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. As you remember, at the end of the first movie, she doesn't know who he, and that's gonna launch us into an amazing new direction.
While that's not much to work with regarding story elements, it gives us a sense of the grand vision at play in the Edge of Tomorrow universe. The first film neatly wrapped up the fight against the Mimics in a genuinely satisfying way, and the second half of this two-part franchise will move into the consequences of the first movie, and the relationship between Bill Cage (Tom Cruise) and Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) now that their Groundhog Day-esque hell has ended. Liman has already promised a brand new scene-stealing character for the sequel, so it seems entirely plausible that he or she will likely help contextualize the film once we learn more about the narrative.
From there, the story will move forward, but that doesn't necessarily mean that things will move forward in a chronological or linear fashion. Doug Liman continued during his appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and explained that the damage done to time would be felt during the events of Live. Die. Repeat and Repeat, saying:
It does pick up right where we left off, but it doesn't keep going forward, because we'd screw with time, because the aliens screwed with time.
Does your head hurt from trying to figure out the logistics of time and time travel? Don't worry; you're not alone. It's obviously hard to discern exactly what Doug Liman means by this, but it's fairly clear that we're in for a wholly unconventional sequel.
I would be remiss for not taking this opportunity to applaud Doug Liman's restraint in this situation. We live in a cinematic age where franchises almost never come to an end and knowing that he intends to close this story after the events of Live. Die. Repeat and Repeat really helps ramp up the stakes. Rather than spending all of his time focusing on how to set up the hypothetical third film, Liman can simply devote his energy to crafting a solid story that will satisfy fans of the original.
CinemaBlend will keep you updated with more information related to Live. Die. Repeat and Repeat. as new details become available. The sequel does not currently have a set release date, but make sure to check out our 2017 movie premiere guide for more information related to the rest of this year's theatrical releases.
