(Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios)
Eleven years ago, a newly minted breakout star following "Bridesmaids," Melissa McCarthy joined forces with British A-listers Jason Statham and Jude Law for the spy action-comedy "Spy." The film quickly became a crowd-pleaser, earning enthusiastic reviews from moviegoers and grossing more than $230 million worldwide.
Given that success, the studio seemingly had every reason to strike while the iron was hot with a sequel. Director Paul Feig even revealed during the film's release year that he had already begun developing ideas for a follow-up. More than a decade later, however, "Spy 2" remains nowhere to be seen.
(Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios)
Studios rarely explain why they decide against making a sequel, but actors and filmmakers occasionally offer a glimpse behind the curtain. In a new interview with Variety, McCarthy addressed why the long-awaited second installment has yet to materialize.
McCarthy believes "Spy 2" has stalled because Hollywood is no longer interested in comedies made at that scale. "It performed well. People might say it didn't, but I thought it did. For example, after we made 'Thunder Force,' we were ready to go straight into 'Thunder Force 2.' We thought, 'That was so much fun, it did incredibly well on Netflix, and we already have an idea for the sequel.' If I write a script—or Ben [Falcone, her husband and longtime collaborator] and I write one together—and it bombs, I'll take responsibility. But that hasn't happened to us yet. Maybe we don't make movies that gross $8 billion. We definitely don't make movies on that level. But I don't see how making a movie that brings in $120 million isn't worthwhile, and the studio didn't lose money either. We want to make reasonably priced movies that turn a healthy profit, but for some reason, that business model is no longer in favor. I don't understand the logic."
via： Variety