What happened to ’23 Jump Street’?
Eagle-eyed lovers of the comedy genre might have noticed the lack of such blockbuster flicks in recent years, with studios seemingly finding it difficult to make these movies in a volatile market. Back in the early 2000s, Hollywood was rife with comedy, with the likes of Will Ferrell, Seth Rogen and Steve Carell at the very top of their game, yet it seems as though we’re now waiting for our next generation of funny men and women.
The Covid-19 pandemic certainly didn’t help this reality, either, with studios now more conscious than ever about moving away from expensive comedies that required A-list stars in favour of less risky action flicks or indie releases. Such films as Anyone but You, No Hard Feelings and Bottoms have given audiences a glimpse into what Hollywood comedies used to be, but there seems to be no consistency for these releases in the industry.
But, all this appeared to change in 2012 with the release of 21 Jump Street, a mid-budget comedy that made over $200million at the worldwide box office, starring relative comedy newcomers Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Playing two older cops, Schmidt and Jenko, who go undercover in a high school to stop a drug ring, Hill and Tatum became comedy hits overnight.
With dollar signs flashing in the studio’s eyes, they quickly green-lit 22 Jump Street for release, and the sequel performed even better, earning $330m. Naturally, a third movie in the buddy-cop comedy series was requested, yet a decade after the release of 22 Jump Street, this has never come to reality.
Who was in the 23 Jump Street cast?
So, to start, there were two different 23 Jump Street films planned back in 2014. The first would have seen Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum team up with the lead characters of the Men in Black franchise, with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones possibly joining the cast. But, in 2015, a female-led 23 Jump Street film was also rumoured, with Tiffany Haddish and Awkwafina being tipped for the lead roles.
It’s important to remember that the directors of the first two movies, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, very much constructed 22 Jump Street as a satire of sequels in general, with the final five minutes of the film demonstrating this beyond doubt. Showing various spin-offs, sequels and merchandise deals where the lead characters became firemen, sailors and dancers, Lord and Miller made their thoughts about the nature of sequels known.
Rumours of the Men in Black crossover came during the notorious Sony hacking scandal of 2015, in which various pieces of sensitive information were revealed to the public, including emails that detailed the making of the movie. Directors Lord and Miller were due to step down as directors, taking just writing and producer credits, while James Bobin would replace them at the helm.
Speaking about why the movie probably wouldn’t happen back in 2016, Jonah Hill told the Toronto Sun: “It’s too complicated… They’re trying to make all the deals, but it’s kind of impossible with all the Men in Black stuff. The Jump Street films were so fun to make, and the whole joke of them was they were making fun of remakes and sequels and reboots and then now it’s become a giant sequel, reboot. It’s almost become what we were making fun of, and it’s hard to maintain that joke when it’s so high stakes”.
When was the planned 23 Jump Street release date?
No release date had been planned for the release of 23 Jump Street as the project was never fully green-lit by the studios, with it seemingly likely that rights issues with the Men in Black franchise became its production an impossibility. Lord and Miller had discussed the potential of the film’s release at the time, but nothing was ever set in stone, and interest steadily waned.
There were two years between the releases of 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street, so many people awaited a release in the late 2010s, but this never happened, with Jonah Hill instead going on to voice Green Lantern in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, which was penned and produced by Lord and Miller.
Meanwhile, Channing Tatum appeared in the very same animated sequel, voicing the ‘Man of Steel’ himself, Superman.
Will there ever be a 23 Jump Street?
It’s unlikely 23 Jump Street will ever be released, with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, as well as Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, having moved on from such films in their careers. Still, plenty of comedy movies have received sequels decades later, and the idea of 23 Jump Street eventually coming to fruition isn’t a total impossibility, especially as fans are still eager for the threequel.
Seemingly just to tease hopeful fans, Lord and Miller spoke about their ideas for the third film on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, with the former stating: “There was, believe it or not, a Men In Black/Jump Street crossover script that was very funny and very crazy that we really adored. Basically, the idea was Jonah and Channing, a thing happened while they were doing their medical school adventure that got them embroiled into the world of Men In Black and that got them teaming up to stop an alien takeover type of thing. It was very funny”.
Giving even more insight into the concept, Miller added: “One of my favourite ideas was the Men In Black, the Black Suits were like martial arts belts that you had to work your way up to black and [Schmidt and Jenko] were issued powered blue Men In Black suits”.
Unless you want to wait an undisclosed amount of time for the potential of a sequel, you’re better off revisiting the hilarity of the previous movies and the admittedly sub-par 1980s TV drama of the same name.
