A sequel to 2005’s Will Smith-led romcom “Hitch” is in the works, but original director Andy Tennant is saying he’s not part of the project. Smith is going solo in developing the sequel without him.
Tennant tells Business Insider that he only found out about “Hitch 2” after pitching his own idea to Sony, and then being told that Smith beat him to the races with his own idea:
“I guess Will is developing a Hitch sequel without me. I just found out about it three months ago. I had a really good idea for a sequel, and I was talking to an executive at Sony, and he said Will’s production company is developing a sequel. Hey, that’s Hollywood.”
Smith starred in “Hitch” as an expert who teaches men how to woo women. The film, which also starred Eva Mendes, and Kevin James, earned mixed reviews, but grossed $370M worldwide against a $60M budget.
It isn’t surprising to see Tennant being brushed off like this; he hasn’t worked within the big studio system since 2010’s clunky “The Bounty Hunter.” Tennant’s previous credits include “Anna and the King,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “Ever After.” He’s since mostly stuck to television with shows like “The Kominsky Method” and “Bookie.”
Can it now be said that Smith has survived the Oscar slap? The recent success of “Bad Boys Ride or Die” basically sealed his fate; the film earned over $400M worldwide. There’s still a large audience out there willing to forgive Smith for his misdeeds.
Smith’s next film will probably be Michael Bay’s “Fast & Loose.” Other Smith projects in development include “I Am Legend 2,” “Resistor,” “The Council,” and ‘Bad Boys 5.’
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.