The real reason 23 Jump Street hasn’t happened yet, according to Channing Tatum

As well-received as “21 Jump Street” was in 2012, it was miraculously outdone by “22 Jump Street,” one of the only comedy sequels in recent years that is funnier than the original film. “22 Jump Street” didn’t just take the lead duo in fun new directions; He – she It served as a meta-comedy over a full sequel. that it Final montagewhich introduces a series of increasingly ridiculous sequel ideas, is the perfect cherry on top.

But even though “22 Jump Street” has been teasing a lot about its potential spinoffs, an actual third film has yet to be announced. On a press tour for his new movie, “Roofman,” Channing Tatum (who plays Jenko) He explained to Variety magazine the reason:

“I get asked about Jump Street 3 more than any other movie I’ve done on the planet. I don’t think it’ll ever happen. The problem is the overhead. It’s going to cost as much as the actual budget of the movie – if not more – because of all the producers involved. It’s too heavy. It falls apart every time.”

Tatum indicated that he, co-star Jonah Hill, and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were willing to work for a smaller production fee to lower the film’s costs, but criticized one producer, Neal H. Moritz, for refusing to do so. “Neal’s price for the producer fee is huge,” Tatum said. “And to be honest, that’s what’s killing her.”

It seems like a classic case of short-sighted Hollywood greed. It may initially make sense to want a larger check for the movie, but if his fee stops the movie from happening, Moretz won’t get any check at all. It’s easy to see why Tatum finds this so frustrating; He read the proposed script for the third film and described it as “in all honesty, the best script that Leonah and I have ever read.”

“21 Jump Street,” with a budget of $42 million, grossed $201 million worldwide in 2012. “22 Jump Street,” with a budget of $50 million, grossed $331 million. These are promising numbers for a potential third film, but they come at a time when mid-budget comedies like this aren’t much success. Even the recent “Naked Gun” revival was performing Below pre-release expectations This summer, though, it finally made a clear profit.

In the streaming era, movies like “21 Jump Street” usually stream directly on streaming services like Netflix or Prime Video. When they get the theatrical release they deserve, like Jennifer Lawrence to lead R-rated comedy “No Hard Feelings” in 2023they’re still lucky to pass $100 million. “23 Jump Street” has the benefit of being a sequel to two well-done films, but it’s not clear if that’s enough to win in such a hollow modern cinematic landscape.

If comedies were still making money like they were in 2012, there’s no doubt that a third “Jump Street” movie would be made by now, even with higher production fees driving up the budget. Unfortunately, we live in a time where “23 Jump Street” is never a guaranteed success, and a $330 million box office draw seems like a pipe dream. Unless all the producers are willing to take a pay cut, the only way “23 Jump Street” can get made is if audiences start viewing mid-budget comedies more often.