There were a number of surprising things that were revealed in the leaked emails accessed via a cyberattack on Sony Studios at the lend of last November. No, we’re not talking about how petty studio execs can be behind the backs of the actors or producers in their employ. I’m talking more about news concerning certain ongoing projects at the studio such as the script issues plaguing the upcoming James Bond film Spectre as it was heading into production or the fact that the studio was looking at possibly loaning out the character of Spider-Man to Marvel Studios for appearances in Captain America: Civil War and the two-part The Avengers: Infinity War. (For the latest on that, check out this story from earlier this evening.)
Perhaps the story that caught everyone off guard the most was the revelation that the studio was mulling over the possibility of merging two of their comedy franchises – 21 Jump Street and Men In Black – into a crossover film. Referred to as 23 Jump Street in internal memos, the studio had even approached writers/directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who transformed 21 Jump Street from a cheesy 1980s TV series into a big screen comedy hit, to oversee the project and were ready to greenlight it off of just a pitch.
Well, that idea is still very much in play.
Speaking with MTV News on the red carpet of the Golden Globes this past Sunday evening, Lord stated that he and his partner all still thinking about making the crossover film.
Nothing’s changed. It’s still a crazy idea, and we only do things that seem like they’re going to be terrible… We’re really focussing on what’s a great story for [Jump Street lead characters] Schmidt and Jenko and how to tell the next chapter in their lives. And perhaps use creatures from another world at the same time.
At the time I noted that Lord and Miller were able to take some ideas that looked pretty bad like an adaptation of a barely remembered TV show or a movie about plastic toy building blocks and turn them into films that far surpass the germ that spawned them.
Miller cautioned, though, that they have a number of projects that they are considering, one of which may edge out a 21 Jump Street/ Men In Black crossover.
We’re developing a lot of things, you know… And they may or may not all happen, but that’s how the business works.
But are they all as potentially as bad an idea that could pose them a creative challenge such as a 21 Jump Street/ Men In Black mashup?
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