David Ayer already knows what a sequel to Bright would be about - if he got to make it. The film marks, in many ways, one of the more interesting genre combinations to come along in recent years. Its setting and tone resemble the same LA cop movies that Ayer made a name for himself with, including End of Watch and Training Day, but with fantasy elements and characters pulled straight out of popular properties like Lord of the Rings. The film also marks one of the most ambitious Netflix-produced films to date, with a bigger cast and budget than almost any of the streaming service’s previous original, feature film titles.
After releasing the first Bright teaser trailer several months back, Netflix has finally begun a heavier promotional push for the film in recent weeks, starting with the release of multiple new Bright images and promotional teasers. All that culminated with the official Bright panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con and the unveiling of the full-length trailer for Bright, offering viewers their best look at the film yet.
During the film’s SDCC panel this afternoon, Ayer said that not only would he be open to directing a sequel to Bright - should the film be successful enough to warrant one - but there have already been talks about what it could be about. Without revealing much, Ayer teased that the sequel would delve further into the history of some of the magical races in Los Angeles - specifically the Elf and Orc cultures, which play prominent roles in the central premise and conflict of Bright.
Comparatively, Bright has a much smaller concept and focus than what Ayer might be pitching with this sequel. Based on an original screenplay by Max Landis, Bright follows two LA cops, the human Scott Ward (Will Smith) and the Orc, Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton), when the duo stumble upon a crime involving an ancient wand, one of rarest magical artifacts in the world. And upon their discovery of the wand, and the Elf in possession of it, Nick and Scott find themselves caught in the center of a war for the wand, with powerful creatures and humans who will do anything to get their hands on it.
With several months left until Bright is actually released by Netflix later this December, there’s obviously been no talks or rumors as of yet, of a possible sequel being in the works. The fact that the talent involved in the film all appear to be excited about the property, and Ayer being interested in returning, though, certainly doesn’t hurt the chances of it happening. But either way, based just on reactions to the first trailers and footage from the film, Bright may just be, at the very least, a rebound for Ayer from a critical perspective, following the negative reception for Suicide Squad last year.
- Bright Release Date: 2017-12-22
