A sequel to the urban fantasy movie Bright is still very much in development at Netflix, with Scott Stuber, the streaming giant's head of original films, revealing that they are "close to having a final script for Bright 2." Released in 2017, the movie was very poorly received by critics, but quickly emerged as one of Netflix's most streamed movies ever. Not long after release, the platform put in an order for a follow-up, and while not much has been reported about the project since, Stuber assures fans that Bright 2 is coming.

Directed by David Ayer, written by Max Landis, and starring Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry, Édgar Ramírez, and Ike Barinholtz, the first Brightintroduces audiences to an alternate present day in which humans, orcs, elves and fairies have been coexisting since the beginning of time. The plot follows two police officers, one a human, and the other the first orc to become a cop, who embark on a routine night patrol that will alter the future of their world as they know it. Battling both their own personal differences as well as an onslaught of enemies, they must work together to protect a young female elf and a thought-to-be-forgotten relic, which, in the wrong hands, could destroy everything.

Despite the clear efforts from the likes of Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, as well as the deliciously high concept and blend of fantastical tropes with gritty urban drama, Bright was mauled by critics upon release, with many taking aim at the screenplay, cinematography and excessive, often ill-judged focus on social commentary and currently holds a decomposed 28% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences though were much more receptive to the movie, with Netflix announcing that the movie had been viewed more times in its first week than any of its other releases.

With these responses in mind, Stuber has revealed his reasoning for expanding upon franchises such as Bright, with the movie chief declaring that they are doing so for the right reasons, and that the passion for such projects far outweighs the data. "It's all gut. The data stuff is hugely overstated," he said. "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?"

Netflix are hoping to spawn a series of franchises off the back of some of their original movies, with big plans in place for the likes of Army of the Dead, Extraction, and The Old Guard. The streaming service is clearly hoping that Bright will join them, with not only a sequel but also an anime series currently in development. Announced in June 2021, the anime spin-off movie is set to be titled Bright: Samurai Sword and will be directed by Children of the Whales' Kyohei Ishiguro of Children of the Whales.

As for Bright 2, David Ayer is no longer on board to helm the sequel, with Louis Leterrier, director of The Incredible Hulk and Now You See Me, reportedly in talks to take over. Both Will Smith and Joel Edgerton are still expected to reprise their respective roles. Are you excited to see more from the world of Bright on Netflix? Even if you're not, it sounds like we're getting it regardless. This comes to us from Variety.