Legions of movie-goers looking for another outlet for their homicidal impulses towards their bosses will be pleased to hear that “Horrible Bosses 2” looks to be a go, as the trio of Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis have signed on to return for the sequel.
The Hollywood Reporter indicates that the three recently closed deals with negotiations after six months of negotiations. As of now, Jamie Foxx still remains unsigned as the trio’s “murder consultant” from the first film, but he is still in talks to also reprise that role.
“Horrible Bosses 2” has been in development for a while. After the original film became a surprise hit in 2011 (it grossed $209 million worldwide on a $35 million budget), New Line immediately explored the possibility of a sequel.
Earlier this year, original screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were reportedly working on a script, while director Seth Gordon also agreed to return for the sequel. That ensures some sort of creative continuity between the two films, even if it is difficult to imagine where this concept could possibly go this time out.
According to THR’s report, the film will feature a new set of bosses to replace Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, and Kevin Spacey, but their report did note that those who survived the first round could also cameo in the sequel. Perhaps the twist here will involve Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis becoming the now-hated bosses targeted for murder.
If not, it should be interesting to see if the sequel opts for the “Hangover II” route by simply retreading the original story with a new set of bosses. Hopefully, there will be a little bit more ingenuity than that, but comedy sequels have often been notoriously tricky for this very reason.
There’s been no indication when “Horrible Bosses 2” is set to go into production, so it’ll probably be a while until it reaches theaters. Until then, be on the lookout for casting news regarding the sequel’s foils–since Melissa McCarthy is showing up in everything lately, don’t be surprised if he’s targeted for extermination.
