It looks like fans will not have to wait long at all to see another Alex Cross movie. After the franchise relaunches with Tyler Perry this weekend, the wheels for the title character will keeping turning as a deal is already in the works for a sequel based on James Patterson’s Double Cross. While this is extremely early and there is no real tracking data to support such a move, let’s remember that fans of the character have previously embraced Cross-branded films in the past when Morgan Freeman led the franchise over a decade ago.
While Deadline broke the news, they also mentioned that early reviews (for him at least) are good. That is kind of like saying there is a sliver of hope in an otherwise critically acceptable pie. The truth of the matter is that Rotten Tomatoes has the movie at a 30% early on which can obviously improve, but might not. Should that happen, all bets on success will be based on whether the industry can carry another mediocre offering that delivers enough fun to bring in fall movie audiences. Of course, the major comparison here would be Taken 2 which banked $50 million opening weekend despite a terrible reaction among reviewers.
There is no word how long this film will take to churn out, but considering this is a Tyler Perry movie it is completely within the realm of possibility of a one-and-a-half year gap as opposed to the usual two in Hollywood. This is a little beyond a Madea movie in terms of production, so do not be expecting this thing in theaters by the end of 2013.
Alex Cross hits theaters on Friday, October 19.