Charlize Theron has confirmed that Atomic Blonde 2, a sequel to her neon-drenched 2017 spy thriller, is moving forward. Though Theron has made Oscar-bait movies in the past, 2017 was the year of action movies for the actress. Theron starred alongside action heavyweights Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel in the turbo-charged The Fate of the Furious, an international blockbuster that grossed $1.23 billion worldwide. She also headlined Atomic Blonde, a period spy thriller helmed by John Wick co-director David Leitch.
Set in Berlin during the waning days of the Cold War, Atomic Blonde starred Theron as steely British agent Lorraine Broughton. The movie’s plot involved some business about Broughton having to protect a man named Spyglass from agents out to kill him, and also saw her butting heads with a slimy James McAvoy. But ultimately, Atomic Blonde had little to do with spy movie plotting and everything to do with action. Indeed, the film’s single-take staircase fight sequence has been hailed as one of the best-executed action scenes ever.
In the wake of Atomic Blonde, some suggested Theron should be the one to finally play a female James Bond. But instead, Theron will take one more crack at playing Lorraine Broughton. Speaking to an audience at the San Francisco International Film Festival where she received a career tribute, Theron confirmed a sequel to Atomic Blonde is indeed in the works (via IndieWire). No other details were offered beyond her simple statement: “We’re working on a sequel.”
At the same event, Theron also spoke about the physical demands put on her body during filming of Atomic Blonde. She admitted that at one point she became so sore from the beating she took at work, she couldn’t even play with her kids without bursting into tears. Nevertheless, she says all the hard work was worth it. Indeed, Theron is an actress who’s never shied away from a physically demanding role. She completely transformed herself for her Oscar-winning performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. And she’s undergone a similar transformation for her new film Tully, gaining 50 pounds by eating cheeseburgers and sugar.
And then there was her performance as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, which required her to remain on the set for over six months, and endure the difficult company of Tom Hardy. Theron has spoken in the past about the possibility of a Fury Road prequel, saying George Miller had better hurry up if he wants to make it happen, because she isn’t getting any younger. It’s not looking great for a Fury Road follow-up at this point, but according to Theron, Atomic Blonde 2 will indeed happen. This despite the film grossing a less-than-stellar $95 million at the worldwide box office.
Apparently, producers believe there’s an audience for Atomic Blonde 2 despite the first film’s modest box office take. Indeed, the movie does have a legitimate, if small, following. Perhaps the second film can take off much like the second Bourne film did after the first movie did only so-so in theaters.
Source: IndieWire
