Remember “The A-Team” from 2010, an action-packed blockbuster based on the ’80s TV show starring Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson, Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson, Quentin Jackson, and Sharlto Copley? Yeah, we don’t either. Joe Carnahan‘s film wasn’t exactly a box-office dud, grossing $177.2 million globally over a budget estimated between $100-111 million, but critical reception was mixed, and it came and went from theaters with little fanfare.
But in a new interview with Empire, Carnahan insists that, had 20th Century Fox‘s marketing for the film been better, “The A-Team” would’ve spawned at least a couple of sequels. “This is one of those movies where we screwed up the marketing. We should have made three of these,” the director told the outlet.
Carnahan also described the movie as “close to me making a superhero film,” a quote that may raise some eyebrows. Is “The A-Team” really in that genre vernacular? Kind of, but it’s a stretch. The original ’80s series follows a Special Forces team that, after they’re imprisoned for a crime they didn’t commit, become soldiers of fortune in order to prove their innocence. No superpowers, but an ensemble that operates as a found-family wrecking crew sounds like “Guardians Of The Galaxy,” a film Marvel Studios made four years after Carnahan’s film.
Looking back on “The A-Team” sixteen years after its release, Carnahan thinks the actors he cast built a sense of solidarity that deserved a follow-up or two. “The guys had spent a lot of time together, and there’s a great sense of the cast here,” he recalled. “Rampage [Jackson], who was not a professional actor, was so good in that BA role. Forget Mr. T; Rampage is just a much better actor.” Sure, but being a better actor than Mr. T is a low bar to clear. And did Neeson, Cooper, and the others really have the camaraderie Carnahan claims they did? Hindsight is 20/20, but Carnahan’s points here do not sound particularly clear-eyed.
Not that it matters for the director. “The A-Team” may remain the biggest budget Carnahan has ever worked with, but he’s still been able to scrape together a career since then as a capable journeyman director. “Boss Level” and “Copshop” are two memorable B-actioners of his from recent years, and Carnahan’s latest, “The Rip,” a Netflix cop thriller starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, also fits that mold. In fact, “The Rip” received enough critical acclaim that a follow-up may not be out of the question.
But those sequels to “The A-Team” that Carnahan believes he should’ve made? Don’t hold your breath on those.
