Of all the movies released so far this year, we’re not sure we’d have put Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters at the top of the “likely to spawn a sequel” list. But spawn one it has, at least into the development incubator where Paramount and MGM will nudge it along.
You may recall the film, which found Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as the famous fairy tale siblings who, after surviving their encounter with an evil crone, dedicate their lives to taking down nasty witches around a dim medieval setting.
The original felt like a missed opportunity, and while it opened at the top of the US box office, it fell off badly there and made a mediocre $54 million. Yet proving that international box office is a dominant factor these days, it scored more than $150 million around the world, nudged over $200 million and spurred early development on a follow-up.
No details have been revealed yet, save for word that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay will likely return as producers via their Gary Sanchez company, alongside Beau Flynn. There’s no script in place, no director hired and, while we assume Renner and Arteton might have had sequel clauses in their contracts, we’d imagine there will be plenty of negotiation this time around.