Way before Black Adam was fighting intergang in a modern-day Khandaq on the silver screen, and Homelander was thinking about his public image with the people on Amazon Prime, and even before the biggest superhero franchise had taken the first step towards building its interconnected universe of superheroes, there was Will Smith’s Hancock, one of the first mainstream films to take a look at superheroes from a realistic point of view.
The film was moderately successful. While not a show-stopper like Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, the film had earned enough to merit a sequel, which was in the works, once upon a time. However, it seems everyone involved had their fingers in too many pies, and Hancock was just not a priority.
Hancock 2 was just not priority enough at the time
Hancock was initially released in 2008, starring Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman. The film was directed by Peter Berg, who was interested and talked about a sequel even before the film hit theatres. It must be noted that Hancock was released a few months before the MCU’s Iron Man. A year later, in 2009, Charlize Theron and Will Smith both signed on for the sequel, with Berg returning to direct the film. There were even writers on board, Aaron Fierro and Glen Mazzara.
However, everybody involved in the project had commitments that got in the way of production. Fierri and Mazzara would eventually move on to work on The Walking Dead, while Berg would confirm in December of 2009 that production might not be taking off as expected. The director, in an interview, said:
“There are so many cooks in that particular kitchen that are so busy, to get us all in the same room where we can talk and then agree on anything? You’ll never meet a group of people who will have a harder time agreeing on anything.”
Smith, too, had taken some time to focus on personal matters, leaving the project’s future up in the air. Charlize Theron, however, was still interested in the project, saying that she would do it “in a heartbeat”.
Is Hancock 2 even possible today?
15 years after the original came out, much has changed for all parties involved in the franchise. After his infamous debacle at the Oscars, Will Smith has found himself as one of the least bankable stars in the industry. Since the film, Theron has moved on to multiple successful projects and has now become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Clea, appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
With 2 of the three main characters of the film out of commission, it is nigh impossible for the sequel of the film to take off. However, in the light of popular TV shows like The Boys and Invincible, an animated series could keep the characters’ look as is, while also taking care of the fact that the actors that were involved in the first film might not return for the sequel. Even if a sequel does not happen, given the current landscape of superhero media, Hancock could receive a reboot, with a younger actor playing the role of Hancock.
