Louis Leterrier is in negotiations to direct Bright 2 for Netflix, which is bringing back Will Smith and Joel Edgerton to reprise their roles, sources tell Collider.

David Ayer directed the original, which was written by Max Landis. Ayer may not be returning to direct the sequel but he did co-write the script with Evan Spiliotopoulos, while T.S. Nowlin contributed a rewrite. Ayer is also producing Bright 2 with Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless. Though Landis is not involved with the sequel, he is expected to retain some type of credit, seeing as how he created the characters.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, though the action is expected to play out on an international stage this time around.

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Image via Warner Bros.

When Bright debuted on Netflix in 2017, it quickly became the streamer's most-watched original movie ever, garnering more than 60 million views. Of course, Netflix's subscriber base has swelled since then, especially in the past few months as people stay inside their homes amid the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the Chris Hemsworth movie Extraction recently set a new record for the streamer, which expects that the action movie will be viewed by more than 90 million household over its first four weeks of release. A movie like Extraction, with an A-list star like Hemsworth, may not even exist had Smith not led the way with Bright, even if the sci-fi/fantasy film earned poor reviews.

Netflix just announced an Extraction sequel, so it's no surprise that Bright 2 is picking up new momentum with Leterrier's hire. That said, this deal has been in the works for several months and is only being reported now because studios, streamers and agencies have become more comfortable making announcements after being forced to furlough employees. Though many studios, including Netflix, pledged $100 million-plus in coronavirus relief efforts, I know many people, especially in the visual effects community, who were working on high-profile projects and haven't received any of those much-needed funds because they're considered third-party vendors, both by Netflix and other studios. I just wish there were more protections in place for those people, especially seeing as how visual effects will no doubt be essential to the Bright sequel, which I expect will be a priority for Netflix once production is allowed to resume.

All things considered, Leterrier is a solid hire for Netflix given his experience with big movies such as The Incredible Hulk, Now You See Me and Clash of the Titans, plus the Transporter movies. He is already in business with Netflix, having directed all 10 episodes of the series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistancewhich he also executive produced. For more on The Incredible Hulk, click here for Matt Goldberg's thoughtful retrospective on the much maligned Edward Norton movie.