Channing Tatum Isn’t Giving Up On Sequel Fans Have Been Craving

During his interview, Channing Tatum explained that he and Jonah Hill have been on board to launch 23 Jump Street for some time now, but there is apparently a lot of red tape preventing the film from getting off the ground. Specifically, Tatum stated, “It’s just a lot of bureaucracy, kind of above-the-line stuff. It’s really hard to get it made, and we’ve been trying to get it done.”

This surely comes as a surprise to many fans, as the conclusion of 2014’s 22 Jump Street all but rules out any additional sequels, with a humorous teaser at the end, which serves as a fake preview for dozens of future Jump Street installments.

In fact, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum aren’t the only ones who want to make sure 23 Jump Street sees the light of day, as Tatum claims there is already a completed script floating around. The Magic Mike star said of the existing screenplay, “There is a project that was written and it’s still the best script that I’ve ever read for a third movie.”

For those who don’t know, 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street originally premiered in 2012 and 2014 respectively, offering a new and hilarious take on the hit 1980s television series of the same name. The films serve as buddy cop comedies, in which Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum go undercover as high school students and later college students in order to uncover a massive designer drug operation.

If Channing Tatum’s comments about a possible 23 Jump Street project ring true, fans may soon get the chance to see the duo taking down criminals in med school, law school, or some other kind of post-grad setting.

The Jump Street movies also tout hilarious comedic performances from the likes of Rob Riggle, Dave Franco, DeRay Davis, Nick Offerman, Jillian Bell, rapper Ice Cube, and Fallout‘s Johnny Pemberton. While Channing Tatum gave no indication as to which performers would be available to return for 23 Jump Street, fans would surely rejoice at the sight of any of these comedic power-houses.

The two films brought in a combined figure of more than $500 million at the global box office, making them each a resounding hit with audiences and critics alike.

Back in 2015, Phil Lord and Chris Miller reportedly wrote a draft of a possible 23 Jump Street movie that would crossover with the Men In Black franchise, though that film never came to fruition.

This is due in large part to the Sony email leaks of 2015, which exposed numerous plans to the public and revealed a wide array of studio meddling. Beyond the leaks, Channing Tatum says the production schedule for 23 Jump Street rapidly became unmanageable when the producers were confronted with the reality of folding both franchises into one another.

Sony previously attempted to launch a Men In Black reboot in 2019 with the intention of connecting the two franchises, though the Chris Hemsworth-led film was a major box office bomb and critical disappointment. While Channing Tatum refused to reveal any plot details of the latest 23 Jump Street script, he does seem quite optimistic about making the movie happen. Still, at this point, it’s highly unlikely that the series will cross over with Men In Black unless the latter is fully rebooted from scratch.

Source: ComicBook.com