Red Notice wasn’t exactly a critical hit when it landed on Netflix last year, with many calling out the Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot-led action comedy as an unimaginative and paint-by-numbers affair. Despite that, the movie was a massive crowd-puller for the streamer, and instantly two sequels were greenlit to continue the adventures of Johnson’s FBI Agent John Hartley, Reynolds' thief Nolan Booth and Gadot’s art thief Sarah Black/The Bishop. Now, producers Hiram Garcia and Beau Flynn have provided a positive update on exactly where the two sequels are at in terms of scripting.
Red Notice was one of the many movies that saw critics and a large number of audience ratings contradicting the huge viewer numbers in the last two years. The crime caper grabbed headlines early on when it became one of the most expensive movies ever produced by Netflix, mainly down to its hefty cast bill, but the film seemingly was enough of a financial win to be given the go-ahead for not just one, but two sequels. While speaking with Collider recently, Garcia and Flynn gave an encouraging update for all of those eagerly awaiting more from the franchise. Flynn said:
“Well, we have a ‘Red Notice 2’ script and almost [Red Notice] 3. The plan is hopefully if Hiram and I have of our way that we would make those movies back to back. But it’s going to be all about the scripts and how we feel and how Dwayne, Gal, and Ryan feel about them. But that franchise is a blast and obviously Netflix really wants it, and Rawson [Marshall Thurber, director, and screenwriter] is committed.”
On the back of this, Garcia added:
“Yeah, Rawson (Marshall Thurber) is working away and we were just talking to him about it the other day. He's deep in it and that's his baby. So, he's grinded away. We're excited to be able to get into it and see a new draft that he's about to deliver us to us very soon."
Red Notice Sequels Could Film Back To Back
Before the Covid pandemic, many movie sequels had plans to film back to back to back in order to reduce the time between the subsequent releases. Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning movies were one such example, but a combination of Covid restrictions and studios having to be careful about their finances has seen that and other back-to-back plans end up with short delays between filming instead.
With Netflix having already committed to making two more Red Notice movies, it would not be surprising for the two to film together, especially considering how busy the franchise’s three leads are. Dwayne Johnson is currently gearing up for the release of Black Adam and has sequels to Jumanji and Jungle Cruise in the pipeline, along with the Christmas movie Red One at Amazon. Ryan Reynolds has returned from his sabbatical and is charging headlong into his Deadpool role over at Marvel Studios. Meanwhile, Gal Gadot has been recently part of the cast of Disney’s Snow White remake and will soon be reprising her role as Wonder Woman. With all that going on, getting the three together once again will be a task enough without stretching it out over two shoots. Red Notice’s first sequel will most likely not arrive until 2024, with a following up a year later if things go to plan and both movies are filmed together.