For whatever reason, audiences in 2010 loved seeing aged movie stars play action hero. Sylvester Stallone scored a huge hit with “The Expendables” a movie sold as a riff on dumb ’80s action movies that was actually just a dumb ’80s action movie. And two months later, “Red” scored big at the box office too, as audiences wanted to see Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren kick some ass. In our opinion, that film was also a letdown, leaving us wondering how Robert Schwentke gained so much late summer hype based on early word from a film was tonally inconsistent and far too long for what it was. But hey, box office numbers speak and it’s no surprise that a sequel is in the works.
Collider reports that the Jon and Erich Hoeber, who wrote “Red” and the upcoming “Battleship” and the Sam Worthington thriller “Man On A Ledge,” have been hired by Summit to write a sequel. Obviously, it’s too early to for details on what the plot might revolve around, but the premise of “Red” is certainly open enough that a sequel isn’t an outrageous idea, it’s just simply one we’re not overly excited for.
For us, if the sequel can play up the more ridiculous and fun aspects of the first film and toss out the serious tone of the second half of the picture that marred the good time vibe, it could be some decent mindless entertainment. At any rate, please bring back Mary-Louise Parker who was the best thing about “Red” hands down. Of course, nothing is official until a script is turned in that makes everyone happy, but we presume that once that happens, things will start moving very quickly.