These days, blockbusters come packaged with pre-destined sequels, whether audiences want them or not. Long before The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opened in theaters, Sony had circled dates for parts three and four. And James Gunn confirmed Guardians of the Galaxy 2 right before the first Guardians started screening. So with Lucy doing better than expected at the box office, you’d assume a sequel was in the works, right? Don’t bet the house.
Luc Besson was asked about the possibility of a sequel while promoting Lucy in Taiwan. But he doused cold water on the hopes of fans when he told local media (via THR) that a continuation of the story was "unlikely." Besson said:
"I don't see how we can do one. It's not made for that. If I find something good enough, maybe I will, but for now I don't even think about it."
Luc Besson confirms in the interview that Universal has approached him asking if he would be willing to get the band back together. Which is understandable. While "proven" action franchises like The Expendables die on the box-office vine (struggling to break $30 million domestically), Lucy sailed past the $113M mark in the States and has earned a healthy $216 million worldwide. Variety notes that the film was No. 1 and the foreign box office, opening in first place in such territories as Asia, the Middle East and Europe, including Israel, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
Lucy is a bona-fide hit, and further establishes Scarlett Johansson as a bankable action star – even outside the comfy confines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where her Black Widow kicks ass alongside Captain America and his fellow Avengers.
But this sequel seems dead in the water. It’s not the first time that Luc Besson has been approached to extend an on-screen universe that he’d prefer to leave alone. The director has been asked repeatedly to make a sequel to his smash hit Leon: The Professional, possibly telling the story of Natalie Portman’s character. So far, it’s not meant to be. But Besson wisely keeps all the doors open, saying if the right idea hits him, he might pursue more stories with these interesting and original characters. What a novel concept. Doing a sequel because the story dictates it – not because a studio wants to fill its bank vaults.
