Columbia's next line of movie products includes more Men In Black and 21 Jump Street, plus a Jumanji reboot
Amid a Hollywood Reporter profile in which he tellingly compares working in the movie business with the furniture business, Columbia Pictures president Doug Belgrad reveals some of the studio's similar "regular cycle of product introductions"—basically, the big, comfy chairs that will offer safe, slight alterations on some of their other big, comfy chairs, as well as the ottomans and other extensions on the pieces they've already sold you. Among these, some of them were inevitable: a Spider-Man sequel (possibly without director Marc Webb), the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo follow-up, the previously announced 21 Jump Street sequel that now has a confirmed fall start date to capitalize on the Channing Tatum zeitgeist that has swept the nation, etc. Some, however, were less expected. For instance, Will Smith's assertions aside, Belgrad says he believes that Men In Black is "an ongoing franchise" and asserts that they will definitely make another one. Though he does add, "We don't have clarity yet on how it should be done," as they can't just come right out and say they'll have Will Smith passing the torch to a young, brash new agent played by Jaden Smith, because that would spoil the surprise.