While it has been a few years since the first film set records for Amazon Prime Video, there is still talk of The Tomorrow War 2 happening. Chris Pratt led the ensemble cast of the 2021 sci-fi actioner as Dan Forester, a former Green Beret in 2022 who is recruited by soldiers who have traveled back from the year 2051 to fight an invading alien force that has nearly wiped out humanity in the future. Marking the live-action directorial debut of Christopher McKay, the film garnered largely mixed reviews, with praise directed at Pratt, Sam Richardson, and the action sequences.
In spite of its mixed reviews, The Tomorrow War proved to be one of the biggest hits of summer 2021 on streaming platforms, breaking several records for Amazon Prime Video and becoming the streamer’s most-watched movie, while also beating Netflix’s Fear Street Trilogy and Disney+’s Black Widow and Luca. This success quickly led to talks between Skydance and Amazon for a Tomorrow War 2, with McKay in negotiations to return alongside writer Zach Dean, Pratt, Richardson, Betty Gilpin, Yvonne Strahovski, Edwin Hodge, and J.K. Simmons.
The Director Revealed The Script For The Tomorrow War 2 Is Being Written
Chris McKay Also Spoke About The Movie’s Continued Popularity
While speaking with Uproxx to discuss his work on the horror-comedy Renfield, Chris McKay reflected on his experience with The Tomorrow War and its streaming success. When asked about the previously announced sequel, of which there’s been no word in two years, the director offered a promising update on the project, confirming that “there is a script coming for that” in the near future. McKay reflected:
Yeah, because they released it worldwide on the same day. Literally, they released it around the world. I still get DMs from people from India and Brazil, and people who are discovering it, who loved that movie and loved the characters and stuff like that.
Though a brief update, the news that the sequel is still in development is good news for all of those fans who have been waiting for the follow-up story. However, McKay’s comments about the movie’s international popularity are also reassuring, as they suggest there is still a lot of interest in the sequel even after three years.
Chris Pratt And The Original Team Are Expected To Return For The Tomorrow War 2
Will Time Travel Bring Back Key Cast Members?
Chris McKay’s update seems to confirm that Zach Dean, who also contributed to Fast X‘s script, has properly begun writing on The Tomorrow War 2. Though no casting details have yet to be confirmed for the film, the prior reports for The Tomorrow War 2 wanting to bring back Hodge and Strahovski seems to indicate more time travel adventures considering the former died in the original’s final act and the latter only existed as a future version of Pratt’s daughter.
With McKay looking to be in the know on how the sequel is progressing, it does seem likely he will be back at the helm for the sci-fi-led sequel, while Pratt’s ongoing relationship with Amazon for The Terminal List season 2 makes it all the more likely he too will return to lead the cast.
There Has Been Talk Of A Tomorrow War Spin-Off
New Movies Could Explore The Aliens’ Origins
While it has been a long wait for The Tomorrow War 2 already, there are also hints that the franchise might be growing even further. Along with the sequel being developed, Chris McKay suggested that there might also be spinoff movies and perhaps even a prequel that would dive into the mythology of this story. As expected, the main focus of these other movies would be on the Whitespike aliens and their origins. McKay spoke about the direction of The Tomorrow War franchise back in 2021:
We had such a fun design process. We talked about the world of these creatures, where they came from, how they were created or raised, and how they were maybe being used. I like world-building experiments, especially when you have the potential of some kind of time travel. I think that a sequel could go in a lot of fun areas and the ethnographic study of the Whitespikes in their world and where they came from, and what their purpose was, and all of that kind of thing.
This is an interesting avenue to explore for the franchise. The first movie introduced the idea of going back in time to when the aliens first landed on the planet and neutralizing the threat before it happened. It could be fun to see that idea explored even further in a subsequent Tomorrow War 2 with the heroes taking on the aliens on their own homeworld. It would help give more context to these formidable enemies beyond simply being the CGI monsters that the first movie presented.
Source: Uproxx
