Films about superhumans tend to take a very heroic approach. Those who grow or find powers often turn to the side of saving lives, cities, or entire planets. And if they don’t, then their tragic backstory quickly begins to unfold before our eyes. But how many of us would take one of these drastic approaches upon transitioning to a powered person? One fan-favorite film that follows this question is 2012’s Chronicle. In unexpected news, a Chronicle sequel is in development just in time for the film’s 10th anniversary! Let’s take a look at what we know so far.
A Chronicle Sequel Is In Development Nearly A Decade Later
Chronicle follows an outsider, Dane Dehaan’s Andrew Detmer, who stumbles upon powers of telekinesis with two classmates, Matt Garetty (Alex Russell) and Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan.) They bond over their skills and begin using them to play mostly harmless pranks on those around them. Using a found-footage style of narration, the film shows the descent of madness taken by Andrew as he realizes the extent of his abilities and how they can help him cope with his personal struggles.
The film leaves us with an open-ended storyline for Matt, who vows to use his telekinesis for good and to discover more about how their strengths developed (which was barely focused on in the film. Why bother to find the source of your new power if having it is cool enough?) Despite this, it appears as if the sequel will have little to do with the main trio of the first film.
Rather than give us what has become anticipated, the sequel will focus on a female protagonist. This film was confirmed by John David, a producer of the original, who also shared that it will take place a decade afterward, focusing on “fake news and real news and cover-ups.” He went on to add that the female perspective will be the story of “young women just finishing college” that are empowered by what happens within the film.
A Very Belated Sequel
So, why wait all this time to write a sequel to what was a pretty successful film? Chronicle earned more than $126 million at the box office on a budget of only $12 million, which is more than a good return on investment. As it turns out, there were plans for a second film back in 2012, with the original film’s screenwriter, Max Landis, penning a script.
Ultimately, Fox disapproved of the script. The writer was later accused of sexual assault and misogyny, so we’re happy that his sequel script doesn’t appear to be the one in the works. Director Josh Trank was also never on board with the sequel, which influenced the eventual 10-year development gap.
It’s been a long road between the 2012 film and the upcoming Chronicle sequel that’s in development, but we’re pretty excited to hear that this once small storyworld is being expanded. Do you agree with our expectations? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
Featured image via 20th Century Fox.