While the Marvel side of things struggles to hold on to a strong footing, Disney can go back to developing other franchises in the superhero genre. One of the films that the studio can revive as a major franchise would be the 2005 film, Sky High. It was directed by Kung Fu Panda 4 director Mike Mitchell and starred Michael Angarano and The Flash star Danielle Panabaker in the lead roles.
Mitchell revealed that Disney had plans to develop a sequel film and a spin-off series in the Sky High universe earlier. He even fleshed out concepts for a sequel and shared that he was still interested in working on the project.
Disney Can Revive Superhero Genre With Sequel To Danielle Panabaker’s Sky High
Sky High was one of the best superhero comedy films, but it lacked the necessary recognition from the audience at the theaters. The film, made on a budget of $35 million, could only gross $86.4 million at the box office. However, the critical opinion was favorable to the film and it has since been recognized as a cult film in the genre.
During the promotions of Kung Fu Panda 4, Mike Mitchell opened up about bringing back the original cast of the 2005 film. He shared with ComicBook that he would make the project a priority. In a potential sequel project, Mitchell shared that characters like Zack Attack, played by Nicholas Braun, Royal Pain, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and The Commander, played by Kurt Russell, would return to their roles.
Mitchell also mentioned Braun’s new fame as Cousin Greg from Succession. The younger characters in the original film would now be teaching at a superhero college campus. Mitchell shared that he planned to bring all the high school fun from the original film and place it in a college setting in the sequel. He shared with ComicBook:
All the original kids would be back again, including Cousin Greg. That was one of his first films. Mary Elizabeth Winsted as Royal Pain, Kurt Russell would have to be back as well. We figured all the kids are now grown up and they’re all university teachers at a place called Save U. You just take all that fun and we bring it from the high school into the college years. It would be such a blast.
Mitchell also added that he was a huge fan of Sky High and revealed that he had fun working on that project. He compared his 2005 film to his new film Kung Fu Panda 4, sharing that both films weren’t just comedy films. Mitchell shared that “you get to really have fun and also insane action” in both films.
Sky High Franchise Could Be A Remedy To The Failing MCU
Last year, Disney was displaced as the highest-grossing studio by Universal, a position that the studio held for several years thanks to the MCU. With the MCU failing to come up with consistent theatrical successes, Disney will have to look elsewhere for success. The superhero genre could still be a money machine and the studio would have to use projects like Sky High sequel to pull the audiences back in.
While Marvel got it right with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at the box office in 2023, their expectations went horribly wrong for both Paul Rudd‘s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Brie Larson’s The Marvels. According to Deadline, Disney’s loss due to the failure of The Marvels was estimated to be a massive $237 million.
Sky High star Danielle Panabaker went on to star as Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost in multiple DC shows on The CW. She played the role in The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. Michael Angarano will be seen in the upcoming Western drama from Kevin Costner, Horizon: An American Saga.
Sky High is now available for streaming on Disney+.
