Just two years ago, Netflix was just getting its feet wet with big-name original movies produced exclusively for the streaming service. David Ayer’s Bright was one of those early wagers and it proved to be a massive success viewership-wise considering it was watched over 11 million times within its first three days on the site.The sequel was announced a couple days before the film’s initial release, but it reported a few months ago that Bright 2 has been put on hold. Now, director David Ayer has a hopeful update. In his words:
Still in development. We’re working on it so hopefully we’ll be able to mount that up soon.
David Ayer discussed the Bright sequel with Slashfilm following the Television Critics Association panel for Fox’s new show Deputy, which he executive produces. The original movie cost $90 million to make and featured Will Smith and Joel Edgerton as Los Angeles cops. The twist is that Edgerton is an orc and the California city is filled with fairytale creatures such as fairies and elves. Ayer continued with this:
It’s a great opportunity for all of us to explore the world more. I think people felt like there was a lot of doorways to explore. People were like, ‘Tell us about the dragon. Tell us about this, the history.’ So it’s a very rich world and I think we’re going to drill down some more.
Bright introduced a really interesting world where a caste system is within modern Los Angeles. In the 2017 movie, elves are at the top, humans are in the middle and orcs are at the bottom. It created a tension between Will Smith and Joel Edgerton’s characters, and causes some clashes within the society as well. Centaurs, dragons and such were also introduced as elements of the world, but not fully explored.
David Ayer seems to have caught on to this interest from fans, and more worldbuilding will be implemented more in Bright 2. Hopefully, the sequel will also address some issues from the original too, such as the heavy-handed message and a stronger villain. David Ayer has been attached to direct since the beginning, but Bright screenwriter Max Landis is not penning the sequel. Instead, Beauty and the Beast live-action remake co-writer Evan Spiliotopoulos will work on it.
As for Gotham City Sirens, which David Ayer has been attached to for some time, he said the film is “on pause.” Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn will return next month for Birds of Prey. Robbie's Harley debuted in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad in 2016. Ayer had the chance to do the sequel, but turned it down. James Gunn is currently filming the sequel, which is set to hit theaters on August 6, 2021.
Will Smith has been pretty busy since Bright came out with Aladdin, Gemini Man, Spies in Disguise and Bad Boys for Life. His schedule reportedly delayed the filming of Bright 2. Hopefully now it will get off the ground! Check out five Will Smith movies available to stream now.
