As a streaming service, Netflix arguably have the leeway to take more risks when it comes to mounting big budget original projects, because the lack of box office dollars to worry about can be offset by a monthly subscription fee rolling in from over 200 million subscribers. On paper, David Ayer’s Bright looked like a slam dunk, but it would be fair to say that the movie never lived up to the hype or potential.
Looking at how much the platform has expanded over the last four years, it’s easy to forget just how much of a big deal Bright was. It was Netflix’s most expensive in-house production ever at the time with a budget close to $100 million, an established director at the helm and an A-list megastar in the lead role, something that’s become commonplace in the period since.
A high concept odd couple buddy cop procedural set in a fantasy world was a unique premise, but Ayer’s gritty and self-serious tone was the wrong fit for the material. Bright may have drawn in huge viewership numbers, but it was far from a critically acclaimed success. Of course, a sequel was placed into development nonetheless, but it hasn’t gained much traction at all.
In a new interview, Netflix chief Scott Stuber was asked about how the company determines what movies get sequels and what ones don’t, with a script for Bright 2 reportedly close to being handed in, which was being written by T.S. Nowlin and genre Evan Spiliotopoulos the last we heard.
“It’s all gut. The data stuff is hugely overstated. At the end of the day, you have to ask: Do you believe in it? Do you have passion for it? Do you think it’s going to work?”
Louis Leterrier was announced to be directing last summer, but despite the rumors Bright 2 could be shooting as soon as the fall, it looks unlikely if there’s not even a completed screenplay yet.