Rhiteek Chatterjee
Action comedies have always been a commercial favourite. With the boredom of mundane life and the limited artistic creativity of the franchise films, action comedies are an important aspect for cinema. With its premise and potential, these flicks are usually immensely funny and can be extremely inventive in its screenplays. ‘Central intelligence’ is one of the examples of action comedy’s potential at the box office. With the hilarious performances of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, and some equally hilarious cameos by Aaron Paul, Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy and Kumail Nanjiani, the film was an instant box office success.
The commercial lucidity has got us thinking of how will the second film — if in the line of production — can play out. Hollywood is full of franchise films and sequels and prequel, and ‘Central Intelligence’ is moulded in that same universe. It stars Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as Bob Stone and Calvin Joyner, two high school friends who meet after many years. While their meeting seems to be completely coincidental, secrets start splurging out as it turns out that one of them is a CIA agent who is on the run to save a corrupt fellow agent who wants to sell satellite codes.
The film is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who has directed other commercially successful films such as the sports comedy ‘DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story’ (2004), which stars comedic duo Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller and the comedy ‘We’re the Millers’ (2013), which stars Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter. Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen and Thurber co-wrote the screenplay and Canadian cinematographer Barry Peterson is credited in the department of cinematography.
The film premiered in Los Angeles on June 10, 2016, and was later released in America after seven days, on June 17, 2016. The film has scored a respectable 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and was a huge commercial success, earning $217 million worldwide against a budget of $50 million. The film is powered by the hilarious performances of Johnson and Hart who bring the mismatched characteristic to the action comedy to its full effect. The film is essentially a buddy cop comedy without the “cop” aspect attached to both of them. While the sequel to ‘Central Intelligence’ has not been announced just yet, the commercial success of the film would certainly spawn one. So, here are all the details we know of the yet untitled ‘Central Intelligence 2’.
Central Intelligence 2 Plot: What is it about?
As mentioned before, since ‘Central Intelligence’ was built along the lines of a buddy cop comedy, the sequel can be very well a quintessential buddy cop comedy, given how the film ended with Calvin Joyner joining the CIA to work alongside Stone as a partner. The films of this genre usually go forward with the characters dealing with new missions and ‘Central Intelligence 2’ can do the same.
In terms of the character arcs, there is quite a lot of potential in exploring both Bon Stone and Calvin Joyner. The film had ended with Stone uniting with his high school crush Darla, essayed by Melissa McCarthy. The role was a cameo, but given the comedic talents of McCarthy, her involvement as a proper character will definitely do wonders for the second film. It was evident that the writers wanted to showcase their sexual energies towards each other, and the ‘Central Intelligence’ sequel could focus on Stone’s love life. Joyner suffered from immense inferiority complex throughout the film. The second flick could explore his challenges in the new workplace while also dealing with his newborn. It can be quite interesting and can add a dramatic arc to the whole narrative.
Central Intelligence 2 Cast: Who is in it?
One of the major reasons as to why the film was so successful was the chemistry between Johnson and Hart. The two have seemingly blended as an on-screen comedic duo instantly. Both of them are very comfortable with each other both on and off screen. The two actors have starred in another hilarious comedy, the reboot titled ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ (2017) and are up for a sequel which is supposed to release in 2019. With their appearances on talk shows, it is quite evident that they share a strong camaraderie which reflects on the big screen as well.
The two actors have a number of projects lined up, which cover around a year or so. Dwyane Johnson has films such as a ‘Black Adam’ solo film, ‘Skyscraper 2’ and ‘Baywatch’ 2 up for production. Hart has films such as ‘The Secret Life of Pets 3’, ‘Get Hard 2’ and ‘Ride Along 3’ in production. The filmmaker can easily utilize the two actors to take the sequel up a notch and execute it with rib-tickling comedy.
Central Intelligence 2 Crew: Who is behind it?
In addition, while Rawson Marshall Thurber has helmed on commercially successful projects, his films are not the most remembered pieces of work. Although ‘Central Intelligence’ did commercially well, if the second film does not work on the screenplay and direction, it might be a flop, thereby causing hindrances in possible sequels or spin-offs. While the performances are splendid, what did not work in the film was the flunky screenplay.
Like the screenplay and the direction, the music also lacked inspiration. Comedies require a good soundtrack and background score to complement the tone of the film and if that does not work, the comedy feels soulless. ‘Central Intelligence’ felt incomplete in many places and was dragged by the comedic charm of the two lead actors to churn out funny situations. While there is no update on the crew as of now, we could only analyse as to how did the crew fare in ‘Central Intelligence’, which will further establish their involvement in the sequel.
Central Intelligence 2 Release Date: When will it premiere?
There has been no statement provided by the producers for a second film. However, commercial success and moderate critical success gives no reason as to why the production company won’t produce another film. With the aforementioned chemistry and brotherhood showcased by Johnson and Hart, the filmmakers would definitely bank on it to advertise the film and make it another success. Seeing this, the sequel to ‘Central Intelligence’ could possibly hit the theatres in 2020. Stay in tune to The Cinemaholic for more updates on the film.
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