The development process for EDGE OF TOMORROW was long, and went through a number of screenwriters, not to mention last-minute rewrites and an arguably improvised ending. I try and keep that in mind when it comes out that McQuarrie will be taking a backseat as producer on the sequel, with Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse on official scripting duties.
The pair had their first produced script, RACE, released back in February, and apparently are in-demand, with a number of projects in the work. McQuarrie himself had them do a rewrite on his upcoming film THE GRAY MAN with Charlize Theron, so it’s looking like he was the one to land these two the gig.
Their task is to create a reasonable premise for this sequel without it seeming like a total rehash of the first film. It’s not easy; that film wasn’t the typical franchise-starter in that it relied more on tone, pacing, and atmosphere rather than iconography (though the suits were cool), overarching story arcs, and teasey set-ups for future films. You know, like real movies.
Still, the time travel hook has limitless possibilities (they threw out a more complex ending where the aliens use the time loop against the humans, something that’d be a great kickoff for a sequel), and if these guys are worth their creative weight in salt and are under McQuarrie’s supervision, there’s a chance that this film could be just as creative, eye-popping, and hilarious as the original.
Of course, there’s always the chance this won’t get greenlit, considering the grosses, so we’ll see.
Who votes we just call this one LIVE. DIE. REPEAT. or ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, eh?
