What Happened To Hancock 2, Is It Ever Going To Be Released?

Quick Facts

Before the release of the commercially successful Will Smith’s high-grossing superhero comedy, Hancock, in 2008, the film’s director, Peter Berg, talked about the likelihood of a sequel on the condition that the first film turns out well enough, commercially. Following the film’s release, his statement was backed up by who said there was an ongoing discussion about the possibility of a sequel. In his statement, Smith also said ideas were already flying in and that a whole new world was being built, adding that fans of Hancock are going to be surprised at the prospective new world. A decade has passed since this statement was made and the closest thing to Hancock 2 that we have gotten is another promise by Peter Berg.

What really happened to Hancock 2? Is it ever going to be released? Find out here.

What Happened To Hancock 2?

Before we go into what happened or did not happen to Hancock 2, let’s talk about the first film for the sake of those who may not be familiar with it.

Set in the city of Los Angeles, California, it features an alcoholic Will Smith as John Hancock, a superhero with super strength- immortality and the ability to fly, but none of these gets him popularity among the people, in fact, his rash behavior, which has cost the city millions of dollars, coupled with his drunkenness, does not win him any love in the city and he is often described as an asshole.

Along with Smith, the film also stars as Ray Embrey’s wife Mary, and as Ray Embrey, a man Hancock saved from a near-fatal encounter he had with an oncoming train. Seeing an opportunity there, Embrey, who is a public relations expert, decides to not only thank his savior with words but to help him build his public image (while boosting his career too).

As the film proceeds, Ray introduces Hancock to his wife (Theron) who, like many others, is not very fond of him, and son who is a fan of Hancock’s. Ray advises Hancock to join a rehabilitation center which he did and eventually becomes a better person. Meanwhile, Mary is not who Ray thinks she is and another superhero along with some secrets are revealed.

Hancock wasn’t the biggest deal in terms of reception, in fact, the film only holds a 41% approval rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was surprisingly a hit at the box office, grossing a total of $624 million against a $150 million budget, making it one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

At this point, however, it appears providing a direct answer to the question, ‘what happened to Hancock 2?’ might be a bit hard for anyone but the production team.

Is Hancock 2 Ever Going To Be Released?

Considering the potential the premise of the first film had, no one could have imagined this question would be asked over ten years later. While some people still hold out hope that a Hancock 2 is somehow still possible, the glitter of hope has dimmed in most, especially since they were only waiting for the sequel to see if it would be better than the first film, or worse.

Berg hinted at a continuation in 2009 when he said in a statement that there might be another god out there (referring to the superheroes in the first film as gods) but said they were in no rush to release the sequel, even though the studio would have preferred to fast-track it. He also added that both the script and the movie had to be right and since his statement is consistent with their title star, Will Smith’s statement, the possibility of Hancock 2 being released seemed more than likely.

This was confirmed a week later when The Hollywood Reporter reported that Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzaro, co-writers and executive producers of The Shield, who also collaborated on The Walking Dead, had been contracted as the screenwriters for the sequel to Hancock instead of Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan, who wrote the first film.

But when Berg was asked again in December 2009 about the progress of the sequel while his sci-fi Battleship was still in the works, he said he believes that the sequel will happen, as soon as all of them can agree on something. Maybe they never did, because the next and last time Hancock 2 was heard of was in 2012 when Berg said it will happen, it’s just a matter of time maybe.

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