If you've seen Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart on the official poster for American Ultra, you might think that it's a sequel to Adventureland. But this new movie is in fact an original from director Nima Nourizadeh, and it combines the adrenaline-pumping action of a spy thriller with the unpretentious humor of a stoner comedy.The film has all the ingredients of a franchise-starter: big names, appeal for fans of multiple genres, and a plotline that doesn't necessarily have to end when the movie does. So will there be an American Ultra sequel?
Although there has been no discussion of a follow-up movie to American Ultra, it's not out of the question to think that there could be a sequel if the film turns out to be a hit. Audiences love seeing follow-ups to their favorite comedies, and studios love making them because they know they'll be money-makers (think 22 Jump Street, Pitch Perfect 2). Action movies also easily translate from stand-alone films into series, because no one ever gets tired of looking at explosions and other crazy special effects. Finally, spy movies are great for sequels because there's always another mission and therefore another story to tell. This makes the prospect of an American Ultra 2 look pretty good, but there's no knowing for sure — after all, Jesse Eisenberg hasn't been in sequels to any of his other great movies. Which is really too bad, because I would love to see him reprise some of his previous roles. Here are a few Eisenberg sequels I'd gladly pay full ticket price for:
The Social Network 2
Proposed plotline: Mark Zuckerberg decides he's soo over Facebook, making comments such as "I really only use Instagram and Snapchat now." Arnie Hammer continues to play two of himself, and I continue to drool.
Adventureland 2
Proposed plotline: Jesse Eisenberg's character finally realizes how annoying Kristen Stewart is, and spends the movie hanging out with Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig instead. Giant-ass pandas for everyone!
Zombieland 2
Proposed plotline: America has been taken over by a new "mad person disease": an obsession over the status of Emma Stone's relationship with Andrew Garfield. Chaos ensues. Meanwhile, Woody Harrelson suffers from recurring nightmares about the Hunger Games.
Now, I'm in no way saying that any of these sequels are particular likely to happen. But weirder sequels have been made (remember Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2? You do? I'm sorry.) Hollywood tends to repeat movie formulas that work, so if American Ultra fills theaters it will have passed the first test to earning a follow-up movie. Go see the new film and decide for yourself if it's sequel-worthy! And if it's not, just enjoy watching Jesse Eisenberg as yet another loveable goofball.
Image: Lionsgate
