Maybe it was the close proximity with the release of “John Wick” and its sequel or just the fact that director David Leitch was behind the camera, but the 2017 film “Atomic Blonde” suffered in the eyes of many action movie fans due to its comparison to the beloved franchise from Keanu Reeves. Nevertheless, the film did find an audience, and has slowly built a following on home release. And according to Leitch, those hoping for a sequel to the film might be in luck.
According to an interview with /Film, director David Leitch says that there is at least one streaming service that’s interested in a sequel to “Atomic Blonde,” which starred Charlize Theron. Though he fails to get really specific about what the sequel might look like or where it might reside.
“I think there is [still talk of ‘Atomic Blonde 2’],” said Leitch. “A streaming service is into it. I don’t know all the details. I was a work-for-hire on that movie, but at the end of the day, Kelly McCormick – my producing partner and my wife – she will be involved, I’m sure, as a producer. That’s how I got the gig in the first place. We’ll see.”
The first film focused on a female spy in the late-‘80s that had to find a super-secret list of double agents on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall. With its modest $30 million production budget, the film ended up doing FINE in theaters, with a global box office of just over $100 million. However, in today’s studio economy, a sequel to a film that only grossed $100 million worldwide is a losing proposition. But that seems to be the perfect time for a streaming service to come in and throw money at the film just to have another exclusive title in its library.
Stopping short of guaranteeing a sequel, it does appear that deals are being discussed about continuing the franchise that saw Charlize Theron kicking ass in her own Wick-ian way. And with Leitch coming off two big blockbusters (“Deadpool 2” and “Hobbs & Shaw”), why not give him another go at it?
