Wouldn’t you feel confident if you were launching a spy franchise with a former James Bond in the lead? Relativity Studios is so high on its upcoming thriller The November Man, in which Pierce Brosnan plays secret agent Peter Devereaux, that it has gone ahead and greenlit a sequel, which will begin pre-production shortly.
Now, just because this follow-up has been given the go-ahead, that’s not to say that Relativity can’t pull the plug if The November Man has a chilly reception at the box office. To give a recent example, Screen Gems slammed the brakes on a planned sequel to The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones after that YA hopeful opened low.
If the same fate befalls a November Man sequel, we won’t be too torn up about it here at We Got This Covered. Our own Sam Woolf gave the film two stars, calling it “dull” and “regressive” while noting:
“Empty posturing is the only thing the film proves to be a real pro at, so unless what you’re after is a spy thriller that feels more like make-believe than usual, you’ll be left wishing The November Man and its star had stayed in retirement.
Hardly the reception Relativity was hoping for. When announcing the green-lighting of a sequel, Robbie Brenner, Relativity’s President of Production, stated:
“THE NOVEMBER MAN is a gritty series that re-invents the spy genre with its master Pierce Brosnan by combining the best elements of James Bond and Jason Bourne while echoing the cool, sleek action movies of the 70s. We are excited to launch THE NOVEMBER MAN later this month and to continue to explore Peter Devereaux’s dangerous world with Pierce over the years to come.”
For his part, Brosnan said:
“THE NOVEMBER MAN is an iconic, tough character and I am excited to partner with Relativity to continue to bring him to life.”
Of course, audiences will have the final say in whether The November Man sees a sequel. The film opens August 27th – will you be queuing up to see it, or are you going to take Sam’s advice and skip it?