Bright may have been critically panned when it came out, but it did incredible numbers for Netflix. A sequel was confirmed quickly afterward and then, almost as quickly, disappeared. Now, we finally have an update on Bright 2 with Netflix in talks with director Louis Leterrier to take over the franchise from David Ayer, who directed the first film.
Leterrier has a long list of films under his belt but is probably best known for directing the first two Transporter movies and helming the most forgettable MCU film, The Incredible Hulk. He’s a safe choice for a franchise film and can usually deliver competency, though he also directed the abysmal Clash of the Titans.
It may seem strange that Ayer is stepping away given his heavy involvement in the creation of the world of Bright, which wonders what the world would be like if fantasy creatures inhabited our reality, but the director is too busy rewriting his remake of The Dirty Dozen for Warner Bros. to direct the film. He still wrote the screenplay for Bright 2 alongside Evan Spiliotopoulos, with rewrites by T.S. Nowlin. Ayer’s inability to become available, and possibly the lingering memory of his failed Suicide Squad, may have been why we didn’t hear much about Bright 2 for so long.
Both Will Smith and Joel Edgerton are reportedly returning for Bright 2, reprising their buddy-cop roles as a human police officer and his orc partner respectively. The conclusion to the first film placed the pair in the middle of a grand conspiracy that will play out over the next film, which will reportedly take place on a more international stage than the original that stayed within Los Angeles.
