What once sounded like an unlikely dream project is now slowly becoming a reality, with director Doug Liman revealing that a sequel to Edge of Tomorrow, his much-loved sci-fi action movie, could be his next project.
Liman was speaking to Collider at the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles, promoting his new YouTube series Impulse, when he gave an update on Live Die Repeat and Repeat (the current title of the sequel, complimenting the film’s rebranding as Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow for home video release).
On the sequel, the director said, “We’re just working on the script… [We’re no longer working on scheduling issues], now it’s down to we have a window where we could go do it, and we’re frantically working on the script. It’s one of those movies that we’ll only go make if we love the script. It’s not one of those things where the studio is pushing us to make it and they don’t really care if it’s good or not. If the movie happens, it will be because Emily Blunt, Tom Cruise and myself are passionate about making it, which is a great place to be. She doesn’t need this movie, he doesn’t need this movie, and I don’t need it. We’re gonna make it if we really believe in it. We have a story that the three of us love, so we’re working hard on the script.”
When pressed further about whether or not it could be next up on his docket, Liman admitted, “It could be. It has the possibility of being my next film.”
Fans have been demanding a sequel ever since Edge of Tomorrow hit theaters in 2014 to surprisingly positive reviews, cementing itself as one of the best sci-fi films of the decade. The project first began coming together in 2016 when Liman signed on to return as director and began hyping up the film, saying it will “revolutionize how people make sequels.”
Edge of Tomorrow may have been seen by a bit too many people for it to be classified as a cult movie, but it certainly didn’t clean up at the box office like Warner Bros. had hoped. The film only grossed $370 million on a $178 million budget, which has called into question the amount of general audience interest there is in a continuation of the franchise. On the bright side, however, word of mouth saved the film from becoming a complete box office disaster while it was in theaters, so if the sequel is good and has a lower budget, word of mouth could save it again.
Currently, Liman is editing 2019’s Chaos Walking, which stars Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland; he had a busy 2017 with the release of two movies, The Wall and American Made, the latter of which also starred Tom Cruise (the two are friends and frequent collaborators). As of now, speculation would indicate that production on Live Die Repeat and Repeat likely won’t happen until 2019 (although late 2018 is a possibility) for a probable 2020 release.
Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse will pen the script for Live Die Repeat and Repeat, which will see Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt reprising their roles as Bill Cage and Rita Vrataski.
Source: Collider