22 Jump Street was a huge success, so it was only a matter of time before 23 Jump Street was greenlit.
According to Deadline, Sony has begun development of 23 Jump Street by selecting Rodney Rothman to write the script. Rothman wrote the 22 Jump Street script with Michael Bacall and Oren Uziel.
21 and 22 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are currently helping oversee the development of the script. They’re signed on to produce the film, but they haven’t yet agreed to direct the movie. They’ll produce with stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill (who haven’t officially signed on to star, but will) and Neal Moritz.
The job is theirs to take, but if Lord and Miller hand over directorial duties to someone else, we fail to see how this can be exciting news. With the way that Lord and Miller ended 22 Jump Street, we’be a little surprised if they do return, and it’s a little surprising that a sequel is happening at all.
Minor spoilers follow regarding the ending of 22 Jump Street. In the after credits it is revealed that the franchise would undergo many different installments, giving us a would-be ending to the series. The sequels included 23 Jump Street: Medical School, 31 Jump Street: Ninja Academy, 34 Jump Street: Return of the Ghost, and 40 Jump Street: The Retirement Home, among others.
Will 23 Jump Street be the 23 Jump Street: Medical School detailed in its predecessor’s after credits? We have to imagine that Rothman isn’t being forced to stick to that, but it will be interesting to see if it is explained away at some point.
When it comes down to it, if Lord and Miller return to direct 23 Jump Street we’ll be very excited, but if they don’t, we won’t be. In addition to their great installments that brought this franchise to life, Lord and Miller are also responsible for directing one of the other best movies this year The Lego Movie as well as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Those two franchises showed us that the directors aren’t afraid to hand their worlds off, so we wouldn’t be surprised if they pass on 23 Jump Street as well.