Coming off two big and not especially well received blockbusters—2008’s Will Smith-vehicle “Hancock” and last year’s infamous “Battleship”—Peter Berg didn’t shy away from bringing up the much-lauded TV-spinoff of his 2004 adaptation “Friday Night Lights” and the possible continuation of the story of the Taylors on the big screen. Though Berg said last year—in no uncertain terms—“We’re doing the movie,” it seems he may have a bit premature.
In an interview with Collider for Berg’s forthcoming Mark Wahlberg-starring “Lone Survivor,” the actor-turned-director gave an update on the “Friday Night Lights” movie that will surely sadden a few fans, saying: “There’s not gonna be a movie. We talked about it, some people thought it was a good idea, some didn’t; I’ve come to believe it’s probably not a good idea and I seriously doubt it’s gonna happen.” Maybe Kyle Chandler finally convinced him? Either way, it seems that the once mooted plans about a crowd-funding campaign being put together by mega-producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are no more.
He may not return to the world of Texas football but Berg’s his eyes on another sequel. The director has been keeping in contact with Dwayne Johnson and the two are keen on doing a sequel to 2003’s “The Rundown.” “I really want to do it. I’ve talked to Dwayne. I have an actor in mind that I can’t say that I want to work with Dwayne on it, and we want to do it,” Berg told Collider. Perhaps Seann William Scott shouldn’t be staying by the phone…
With The Rock’s stock in Hollywood even higher now than it was a decade ago thanks to the “Fast and Furious” films, this sequel has potential to happen we suppose, but it’s still a long way to go from an idea to a produced movie. For now, catch “Lone Survivor” when it opens in theaters on Christmas Day.
