It seems that fans of Daniel Espinosa’s Safe House have not seen the last of Denzel Washington’s Tobin Frost after all. Word has hit tonight that the studio behind the pic (Universal) has hired writer David Guggenheim to draft a sequel to the CIA action thriller. Guggenheim most recently completed work on Simon West’s Nicolas Cage-starrer Stolen, but he also drafted the original Safe House which should appease many people looking for the same high-octane vibe.
Now, the idea of a sequel did not initially percolate given the movie’s lead seldom goes for round two; however, the film made $200 million worldwide which is one heck of a box office haul for a February. Of course, there is no word on reprisals at this time even though any effort without Washington would be shunned as more of a spin-off than a legitimate second effort in the franchise which is why some are suggesting this could be a prequel. His performance was really top notch and seemed to carry the picture, outshining a better-than-average Ryan Reynolds in the process.
Just by looking at the actor’s slate, Washington only is on board for one film at the moment which he is currently filming (2 Guns) and has reportedly eyed Stephen Gaghan’s crime drama Candy Store. Since this is just in ‘first draft mode,’ none of this really matters as production on the project probably would not begin for another six months or so at the earliest at which point this conversation will need to be revisited.