Netflix is increasingly becoming known as much for its buzzworthy original movies as the original series that made it a streaming powerhouse. These movies come a mile a minute, with many forgotten as quickly as they came, but one of the movies on the service that has stood out from the fray is the fantasy action tale Bright. The film from director David Ayer and starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton made a splash when it was released on the streaming service back in December, making the already announced sequel seem like a no-brainer. Now comes news that the person responsible for the story in the first place, screenwriter Max Landis, will not be returning for the sequel. Replacing him is Beauty and the Beast screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos.
For those unfamiliar with Evan Spiliotopoulos, he had a hand in the scripts for last year's smash hit Disney remake Beauty and the Beast, as well as The Huntsman: Winter's War and the Dwayne Johnson action movie Hercules. So he is certainly familiar with writing blockbusters and the fantasy genre. According to The Hollywood Reporter's sources, this behind-the-scenes change on Bright 2 came about because of creative differences between returning director David Ayer and screenwriter Max Landis that ultimately led to the switch. We don't know what precisely these creative differences were, but considering the same producers, director and presumably the same cast are on board, it will be interesting to see what this change in screenwriters does to the final product.
Bright was widely panned by critics while conversely being eaten up by Netflix audiences, perhaps proving the star power of Will Smith or the strength of the concept. Bright, in my opinion, was fine for what it was, and it was a fairly entertaining movie to watch, especially from the comfort of your own home on Netflix. However, I do not think it lived up to its potential. Therefore, I'm intrigued by having someone else writing the sequel because I think that many of the first film's problems were on the page and had less to do with acting or directing. The film was a bit heavy-handed in its social message while simultaneously underserving the brilliant and rich storytelling opportunities of a modern day fantasy. Hopefully Even Spiliotopoulos can take what worked about Bright and improve upon it, really building out this world while telling a compelling street-level story.
There is currently no release date set for Bright 2. However, there are still plenty of movies coming to the platform this year, and you can find out what they are, as well Netflix's upcoming TV series, in our guides. For all the latest on the race relations between orcs, humans and elves, and all your fairy pest control needs, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
