Long before Snow White and the Huntsman opened last week, Universal had been talking up plans for a sequel. It was in July of last year, eleven months before its release, that we heard the first inklings of a follow-up. David Koepp(Men in Black III) was brought on in April to get crackin' on a script, with rumors that the film would follow Chris Hemsworth's Huntsman character. Then a few days before the film hit theaters, Universal got gun shy, and started to walk back the sequel chatter.
A $118M opening weekend cures a lot of ills, though, and now Deadline reports that Universal is back on board and looking to put a sequel on the fast track. All of the principle players, Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth have options for two more movies and are expected to be back. The only variable is Rupert Sanders, who made his directorial debut with the film, as he was the beneficiary of a sweet deal that put him in the driver's seat if he produced a hit. Basically, he doesn't have to come back if he doesn't want to, and since he's red hot right now, he has all the leverage. Chances are he'll return, simply because a sequel would be a guaranteed blockbuster.
I liked Snow White and the Huntsman, but didn't love it. It certainly doesn't scream "sequel" to me, so if it is going to happen let's hope they fix some of the problems with the pace and poorly developed characters next time.
