Director Brad Furman’s adaptation of Michael Connelly’s novel The Lincoln Lawyer was a sizeable hit when the thriller opened last year, and given that Matthew McConaughey’s character of Mickey Haller appears in subsequent Connelly novels, many were hoping we’d be seeing more of Haller in future films.  Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns revealed last December that a sequel to the film was in the works as well as a television series, and now we have an update from McConaughey himself on the status of the follow-up.Steve got the chance to speak with McConaughey earlier today for his upcoming thriller Killer Joe, and the actor spoke a bit about the Lincoln Lawyer sequel including his eagerness to return to the character and what the follow-up would entail.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.Steve asked McConaughey if he had an update on the Lincoln Lawyer sequel, to which the actor responded:

“Man, I hope so.  The update is I wish I knew more.  The update is I wish I had that second script in my hand already and could have opinions on it and pass on notes.  If that next script is [good]—and they are working on it, it’s being written—I would love to get in Mickey Haller’s shoes again.  And that’s probably, of all the characters I’ve done, the one I’m most excited about—if it’s good, if the script’s good—of carrying on as a character.”

After the camera was turned off, McConaughey told Steve that they’ll be using two books for the sequel, and Bryan Cranston’s character (Detective Lankford) will have a much larger role. So McConaughey certainly seems game on returning to the character of Mickey Haller, but only if the script is up to snuff.

McConaughey didn’t specify which books would be combined for the sequel, but the Mickey Haller character appears in four of Connelly’s novels including The Lincoln Lawyer.  Chronologically, the next two books are 2008’s The Brass Verdict and 2010’s The Reversal.  Watch the portion of Steve’s interview with McConaughey where the actor talks about the Lincoln Lawyer sequel below, and look for the full interview closer to the release of Killer Joe.