One of the big, overarching jokes of 22 Jump Street was the fact that it kept constantly pointing out the fact that it was a sequel that more or less trod the same ground of the original but with a bigger budget. It even went so far as to point out certain things about the non-existed third movie, writing it off as a ridiculous notion and lampooning the over-extended future of the franchise with a massive array of fictional sequel posters that flashed over the credits. Observe.
And then the third movie actually got greenlit and collars were subsequently pulled by you and I alike.
However, you and I alike aren’t comedy movie geniuses and thus aren’t getting paid handsomely to come up with workable solutions to problems like these.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller on the other hand, are.
And at a WonderCon panel for their excellent show The Last Man on Earth (which you should be watching because the pilot episode is brilliant), they hinted at the fact that they may have come up with that solution. The Lord spoke thusly:
“We’ve found a way that we love that makes those imagined sequels canonical and yet does something that we haven’t told you about yet. The sequels are canon.”
This is seemingly in line with earlier suggestions that they might be leaning in that direction; to embrace all those ridiculous and magnificent sequels and drop the story of 23 Jump Street into a world where, somehow, they’ve all already taken place.
Whether this involves in some way, shape or form the whispered about crossover with the Men in Black franchise remains to be seen. Whether the whole thing falls down a massive comedic theory rabbit hole where trope and premise are tossed about with wanton abandon is also up in the air – though if that happens, consider me signed up.
Actually, y’know what? No matter which way they go with it, consider me signed up. Pointless trilogies are the bane of Hollywood, but a film that’s beyond aware of what it’s doing in that regard, and displays the same kind of enthusiastic weariness that 22 Jump Street did, can only do good things to my laugh muscles.
Bring it on.
