If you’re wondering why people are even talking about a “Jumper” sequel, especially since the originally was received with an almost universal “Eh” shrug? Here’s why they’re considering it: It cost the studio $80 million dollars to make “Jumper”, and the film has grossed over $221 million worldwide. In Hollywood, a million more than the cost of production is usually a good enough reason for a sequel, so why not a movie that grossed nearly three times its budget? And so, we’re talking about “Jumper 2″.
Hayden Christensen, star of “Jumper”, was recently doing the promo rounds for the release of the film’s DVD, and said this to the TorontoSun when asked about doing a sequel:
“We’re talking about it,” the 27-year-old Canadian actor tells Sun Media about filming a sequel to Jumper. Doug Liman’s kinetic science-fiction flick arrives on DVD tomorrow in several editions: a version with full and widescreen on one disc; the two-disc, widescreen Special Edition; and a Blu-ray with the same expanded extras as the special edition.
“I know that they’re having those conversations, I hear about them,” Christensen says of development plans for Jumper 2. Liman would like to eventually take the franchise in the same direction as his Jason Bourne series. Would Christensen sign on again, as Matt Damon did with Bourne? “Oh yeah, and I think I probably will.”
Liman originally planned a movie trilogy based on Steven Gould’s novel. Liman spun out a liberal re-imagining of Gould’s more personal story about child abuse, which had jumping as a metaphor for escape.
“It was set up to become that — a trilogy — if it did well,” says Christensen. “And I think they’re happy with how it did so they want to make another one. But I don’t think they’re rushing to get into production.”
I haven’t seen “Jumper” yet, mostly because the film just sounds like such a failure according to everyone I know — great effects, but just terrible everything else. One day I may end up watching it, hopefully before the sequel comes out…
