New ‘The Italian Job’ sequel with Paul Feig at the helm in works at Paramount
Charlie and his crew may soon be returning for another heist. Paramount is developing a sequel to its 2003 hit 'The Italian Job', as reported by Deadline. For those unaware, the 2003 movie is a heist adventure following Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) and his team as they avenge their friend while pursuing their lost loot in Los Angeles. The movie starred several A-listers: Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Edward Norton, and more. There is no update on anyone's return from the cast for the sequel. However, they are in talks to hire Paul Feig as the director. Known for his work in ' The Housemaid,' 'Bridesmaids,' 'The Heat,' and 'Ghostbusters,' Feig will reportedly take over from F. Gary Gray, who directed the 2003 project.
The 2003 movie was inspired by the 1969 British film of the same name starring Michael Caine. At the time of its release, the 2003 film's action sequences received a lot of attention. One of these sequences was the heart-stopping escape in Mini Coopers. The heist movie set the box office on fire and earned a whopping $176 million worldwide. Since its release, speculation has been rife about a possible sequel.
A sequel titled 'The Brazilian Job' was in development for a long time, but nothing came of it. "That's been listed as 'In Production' for over four years, and maybe you'll print this, and someone will actually stop saying that!" Seth Green, who played Lyle in the movie, said about the sequel to EW. "There are a couple of scripts that have been written, but in the last six years since we made the movie, Paramount's hierarchy has changed hands four times, and it's never seemed to be a priority for the studio to make the movie...There's enough of a fan outcry for it, but we just haven't been able to get the studio to greenlight it."
Seems like Paramount has changed tunes. The success of sequels to their old titles like 'Top Gun: Maverick' appears to have made them interested in revisiting Charlie and his crew's world. The cast has always talked fondly about the project and, with the right incentive, should be a part of the sequel. At the end of the original, the crew went their separate ways, using their share of the loot to build a better life. The script may reunite the team for another adventure, or bring together a new team with some familiar faces. Currently, the studio is looking for writers to put a script together.
