The law of averages of a TV show being made into a good, if not entertaining, movie is slim to none. Yet, a bigger rarity is having a successful sequel. Oscar-winning The Fugitive gave us U.S. Marshals, a sequel best remembered for Robert Downey Jr.’s crazy performance and that period for Wesley Snipes in between Passenger 57 and Blade.
21 Jump Street was a reboot to a hit ’80s TV series in which the premise involved young cops going undercover at area high schools to snuff out crime. It also was the launching pad for an actor by the name of Johnny Depp. You may have heard of him. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the duo behind this year’s breakout hit The Lego Movie, rebranded the original concept and made it a restricted comedy. Playing to strong reaction at South by Southwest a few years, the comedy would become a big hit for Sony/Columbia.
Now the studio is hoping the same is true with a sequel. If the first, second or third trailer didn’t convince you, maybe this last one – a red band – will do the trick. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are back and this time they are in college. Thankfully, this trailer gives us more of the story, hinting that they’ll be partying it up in college and as spring breakers (fingers crossed that James Franco’s Alien character from Spring Breakers has a cameo in some way). If you don’t laugh at least a little, then I guess this comedy isn’t for you.
22 Jump Street is directed by Phil Lord & Chris Miller and written by Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Oren Uziel (Kitchen Sink). This time friends Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) find themselves undercover at a local college, to stop more drugs from being spread. Sony/Columbia will open the film wide on June 13th, 2013. This, along with Nicolas Stoller’s Neighbors, look to be two of the big comedy hits this summer.
