2014’s Lucy, which starred Scarlett Johansson as a drug mule who has her high-powered stash released into her body allowing her to access more of her brain, was an unexpected hit, earning $463 million at the global box office from a measly $40 million budget. Those kind of numbers usually equal sequel.
It’s a good thing that director Luc Besson has already completed the script for the follow up film, then. Despite saying he was averse to making a sequel when the film first came out, Besson seems to have changed his mind, and though there’s no start date for production nor word on whether Johansson would return, the project is nonetheless in development.
One reason for Besson changing his mind might be because his production company, EuropaCorp, has planned to reconfigure their filmmaking strategy after a dismal year, producing flops such as The Circle, Besson’s own Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, and more. Thus a sequel to an action hit that grossed ten times its budget first time around sounds pretty appetising.
The company is now reportedly looking to focus solely on action fare within the $25-$35 million bracket in order to recoup some of their losses. And although a Lucy sequel is potentially on the table, it won’t be Besson’s next film, as he’s directing another female-led action film which begins shooting next month.
Besson was probably right the first time when he said years ago that Lucy wasn’t designed to have a sequel. It works better as a standalone film. Potentially not having Johansson for the sequel could hurt audience interest straight away; would it even be titled Lucy in that scenario?
Either way, we’ll wait on more news as Besson and EuropaCorp look to move ahead with a sequel.
#Peace.Love.Lucy
