We were talking Real Steel 2 well before the first film even came out, but now, three years later, we’re still without that sequel. However, that doesn’t mean director Shawn Levy isn’t thinking about it. In fact, he said he’s been “quietly developing” it for years now.
The first film starred Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up boxer who turns to robot boxing to make a living. After his robot is destroyed in a fight, Charlie’s stuck without a contender and with a significant amount of debt, leaving him with no choice, but to try and turn an old sparring bot named Atom into a champion. Hit the jump to find out what Levy had to say about the sequel.
While at the Toronto International Film Festival promoting his latest, This Is Where I Leave You, Levy told ComingSoon the following:
"We have been quietly developing a sequel to 'Real Steel' for three and a half years. We've come up with some great scripts but Hugh and I would only make it if the plot feels fresh, but also the character journeys feel fresh, and we've found both but never at the same time. It's ongoing. I know the clock is ticking.”
And he’s right. Real Steel hit theaters on October 7, 2011. Even if they came up with a genius idea that delivered both a fresh plot and character journey tomorrow, we’d still be waiting two more years to see the film, at the very least. Will anyone even care at that point?
Plus, the film killed it overseas, but didn’t do so hot at the domestic box office. It did take the top spot opening weekend with $27 million, but it only went on to accumulate $85.5 million in total. Levy even made that point himself:
“That movie, weirdly, for a movie that did very well globally - it did okay domestically - but the love for 'Real Steel' remains kind of unique as far as rabid fans who ask me all the time for another one. Hugh and I love that movie so if we can crack it, we'll make it, but I have this sense that we better make that happen soon or frankly, the audience may not be there in the same way. So we shall see."
I really enjoyed Real Steel and would have liked to see a sequel, but at this point, it feels totally unnecessary, especially when we’ve got Pacific Rim 2 coming.
