Netflix has already ordered a sequel to David Ayer’s Bright

Bright Will Smith Joel Edgerton Netflix

Over the past year, Netflix has been steadily upping their game when it comes to their original films, but in just two days, they'll debut their first attempt at a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster – David Ayer's BRIGHT. The fantasy film takes place in an alternate present-day Los Angeles inhabited by human, orcs, elves, and fairies. Starring Will Smith as Ward and Joel Edgerton as Jakoby, who happens to be the first orc to join the LAPD, BRIGHT will find the pair embarking on a routine patrol which will ultimately alter the future as their world knows it. It remains to be seen what audiences will make of the film, but Netflix seems confident that it's a winner, as according to Bloomberg, they're already ordered a sequel with Will Smith set to return.

“Bright” is the company’s first attempt at a big-budget Hollywood production, bringing together a bona fide movie star in a fantasy, buddy-cop tale that could have come from any studio playbook. Directed by David Ayer, who also made “Suicide Squad,” it’s a warning shot to studios and theater owners that Netflix is targeting a big chunk of the $38.6 billion global box office. To underscore the commitment, the company has already ordered a sequel with Smith signed on.

No mention is made of Joel Edgerton, so either he just hasn't signed on yet, or perhaps Jakoby may not make it across the finish line. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when BRIGHT was first announced, but I've slowly been coming around to David Ayer's crazy looking fantasy cop-drama mashup. Here's hoping that Netflix's sequel order doesn't turn out to be premature. At the BRIGHT premiere last week, THR spoke with Producer Eric Newman, who seemed confident that there's still plenty of material left to explore. "Were there to be another film, there’s certainly enough material unexplored within the world that David and [screenwriter] Max [Landis] have created where we can continue to explore it," said Newman. David Ayer also wasn't about to rule a sequel. "Let’s see what the audience says after it opens," Ayer said. "If the audience wants another one who knows."

The official synopsis for BRIGHT:

Set in an alternate present-day, this action-thriller directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad, End of Watch, writer of Training Day) follows two cops from very different backgrounds (Ward, a human played by Will Smith, and Jakoby, an orc played by Joel Edgerton) who embark on a routine patrol night that will ultimately alter the future as their world knows it. Battling both their own personal differences as well as an onslaught of enemies, they must work together to protect a thought-to-be-forgotten relic, which in the wrong hands could destroy everything.

BRIGHT will debut on Netflix on December 22nd.

Source: Bloomberg, THR

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Based in Canada, Kevin Fraser has been a news editor with JoBlo since 2015. When not writing for the site, you can find him indulging in his passion for baking and adding to his increasingly large collection of movies that he can never find the time to watch.