[Update: Well this is interesting. It appears that Deadline’s report was mistaken, asChristopher McQuarriehas taken to Twitter to clarify that he’snotdirectingEdge of Tomorrow 2after all:
This makes a bit more sense, but regardless, I’m enthused to see this movie might actually happen now. Our original story follows below.]
Edge of Tomorrow 2is one big step closer to becoming a reality. TheDoug Liman-directed 2014 sci-fi film was a pleasantly surprising and all-around terrific burst of fresh air to the blockbuster genre, withTom CruiseandEmily Bluntbringing audiences a truly unique and thrilling time travel yarn with charm to spare. Given that this wasn’t a sequel or a superhero movie, it didn’tquitecatch on like wildfire at the box office, but that didn’t stop critics from heralding the film’s quality day-in and day-out. It topped out at $370.5 million worldwide, which is fairly sizable, and last yearCruise started talking seriously about a sequel happening. Now, that sequel has writers and a director.
Per Deadline,Christopher McQuarrieis attached to directEdge of Tomorrow 2whileRacescribesJoe ShrapnelandAnna Waterhousehave been tapped to pen the script. Shrapnel and Waterhouse recently did a rewrite of the assassin thrillerThe Gray Man, which McQuarrie is also set to direct withCharlize Theronin the lead role, so they have a rapport with theEdge 2director.
But McQuarrie helming the sequel is a fascinating bit of news. Most figured that Liman would be back to direct given that the core creative team of Liman, McQuarrie, Cruise, and Blunt had been developing the idea for the follow-up. The first film has three credited screenwriters, but McQuarrie performed significant on-set rewrites throughout production, crafting and penning the ending while Liman and Co. were in the midst of shooting. So he’s well-versed in theEdgeworld and has more than proven his chops as a director with the fantastic Cruise vehiclesJack ReacherandMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, not to mention his debutThe Way of the Gun, which makes him a swell choice to take over for Liman.
It’s unclear why Liman isn’t back in the director’s chair, but it could have something to do with scheduling. He’s attached to helm Fox’sX-MenspinoffGambitthis December and recentlysigned on to direct the small-scale thrillerThe Wallthis summer. But it’s not like McQuarrie’s schedule is wide and clear. He’s currently scriptingMission: Impossible 6, which he’s set to direct marking the first time the same filmmaker has helmed more than one of Cruise’sM:Imovies. He’s also developing the aforementionedThe Gray Man, but news of his heavy involvement inEdge of Tomorrow 2will surely drive fan interest for the sequel even further.
When Cruise last teased theEdgesequel he said Blunt was game to return but the actresses wanted at least another year before diving back into the physically intense world ofEdge of Tomorrow. That was last summer, so it’s conceivable that, should Shrapnel and Waterhouse’s script come out to everyone’s liking, McQuarrie could slide right into production onEdge of Tomorrow 2after completingMission: Impossible 6, which would mean filming could possibly get underway as early as the second half of 2017. I don’t want to get my hopes up just yet, but as a big fan of the first film, not to mention Cruise, Blunt, and McQuarrie, this is mighty exciting.
