Production for the sequel to Netflix’s original movie Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, is officially in full effect. Now Louis Leterrier, the French director responsible for the first two Transporter movies, 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, and Now You See Me, has signed on to lead the project, replacing original director David Ayer.
Bright takes place in a fantasy-infused version of our world that includes fairies, elves, and magic. The film follows Darryl Ward, a human police officer in Los Angeles whose partner, Jakoby (Edgerton), is an orc. Bright serves as an allegory for racism and classism using fantasy genre tropes and, despite not being a critical darling, it left enough of an impression with audiences that Netflix greenlit a sequel back in 2017.
Smith, Edgerton, and Lucy Fry have agreed to reprise their roles from the first film. Ayer, however, cited a busy schedule as the reason for pulling out of directing Bright 2. Ayer was supposed to co-write the screenplay with Evan Spiliotopoulos, but now the script has reportedly been written by The Maze Runner‘s T.S. Nowlin.
In November of 2019, Fry reported that filming for Bright 2 was delayed due to Smith’s busy schedule. Given how all movie productions have been delayed due to the coronavirus, it’s currently unknown when filming for the movie will resume.