It’s been a while since we’ve heard much about 23 Jump Street, but in the time since the release of last summer's 22 Jump Street, the filmmakers that made such a hit out of the TV show-turned-movie franchise in the first place have become two of the most in demand directors around. As such, it comes as little surprise that after having helmed 21 Jump Street and the sequel-about-sequels 22 Jump Street, it looks like Phil Lord and Chris Miller won’t be directing the third film.

Speaking with /Film at the Television Critics Association in anticipation of the second season of Fox’s The Last Man on Earth, Miller said it’s looking like he and Lord will only produce the third film:

“We are hard at work on 23 Jump Street, which I think we will probably just produce from a time standpoint. We’ve been working really hard. We’ve got a really good first draft of a script in and we’re really excited about it.”

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Image via Columbia Pictures

Rodney Rothman, who penned 22 Jump Street, was announced as the 23 writer last September, but we subsequently learned that Sony is developing a crossover between the Jump Street franchise and Men in Black. It’s unclear if 23 Jump Street will be that film, or if Rothman, Lord, and Miller have a different idea for the sequel. Regardless, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are expected to return, and Sony is also separately developing a female-driven Jump Street movie.


As for Lord and Miller, the majority of their time over the next three years will be taken up by the untitled Star Wars Anthology film revolving around a young Han Solo, which they are directing for Lucasfilm and a May 2018 release date. They’re also currently hard at work on The LEGO Movie Sequel, which they wrote and are producing, and they’re developing the story for an animated Spider-Man film for Sony that will be released on July 2018. On top of that, they’re still involved as executive producers on Fox’s The Last Man on Earth, which returns for a second season this fall. They’re busy guys, but when the quality of their work is so good, it’s hard to fault every studio in town for wanting to work with them.

As Sony no doubt wants to get to 23 Jump Street sooner rather than later, we will hopefully learn more about the film in the near future—including a new director. Lord and Miller have a very specific sensibility that will be hard to top, but it’s encouraging to hear they’ll still be involved as producers.

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Image via Warner Bros.