With the release of Goon: Last of the Enforcers, Seann William Scott has effectively propelled one of his best pieces of work into franchise territory, and proven that he knows how to return to a well to deliver great results. That raises the question about other projects that could potentially receive sequels. I recently asked the American Pie star whether or not his 2008 hit Role Models would ever receive a follow-up, and he admitted that the structure of the current Hollywood landscape will likely prevent it from happening, saying:
No. Unfortunately, because that was so much fun to work with Paul and the whole gang of amazing actors and actresses. But you know why I don't think so? Somebody had told me, I met a really big producer who actually used to run a studio. This was like a few years ago, actually. If you think about how, I mean, R-rated comedies are dead, unfortunately. Pretty much. What was good is that we have, you know, Hitman's Bodyguard did well, but that's like, you have two huge stars in that and then I think there was Girls Trip, but other than that there's no appetite for it. And this producer told me four or five years ago. He was like 'man we could never make Role Models today.' I was like 'really?' He was like 'Nope. Studios, it's just a different system. Just that premise. It's just. It's not worth the money for these people now. It's a completely different group of people making decisions on what movies get made.' So I think based on that probably not.
The broad comedy genre has definitely suffered a bit in recent years. While there are certainly winners out there like Girls Trip or last year's Bad Moms, many of this year's comedies (such as Rough Night, Snatched, and The Hitman's Bodyguard) underperformed with critics and audiences alike. With a decreasing appetite for R-rated comedies on the silver screen, it doesn't seem likely that a follow-up to Role Models will ever materialize -- regardless of how much we may want to see it.
These days, the core premise of a film like Role Models feels like something that would be made on the small screen instead of the silver screen. The film centers on two losers (Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott) who find themselves forced to do court ordered community service time working for a big brother program. A surprise hit when it debuted in 2008; the film has since gone on to earn a lifetime worldwide gross of almost $100 million.
That said, there's no accounting for star power. In the years since the original Role Models first debuted in theaters, Paul Rudd went on to achieve even greater stardom with his work as Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Moreover, director David Wain is riding high off of the successful Wet Hot American Summer series on Netflix. With that amount of clout, it's possible that they could pull a Super Troopers 2 and crowdfund the film through fan enthusiasm. Just don't count on a major studio going all in on the project.
Goon: Last of the Enforcers is out now in theaters, as well as on Digital HD and VOD. If you're on the lookout for more information related to the rest of this year's theatrical debuts, check out CinemaBlend's comprehensive movie premiere guide.
