It has been nearly ten years since frequent stoners Harold & Kumar have gone anywhere, previously making their way into theaters with a 3D Christmas outing and remaining dormant since then. Since the first film debuted in 2004, the franchise spawned three theatrical feature films and kicked the careers of stars John Cho and Kal Penn to overdrive, while giving Neil Patrick Harris some unique new footage for his acting reel. Speaking in a new interview, Penn has revealed he would like to return to the comedy franchise and even offered a glimmer of hope that it could happen in the next couple of years.
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“We would love to do a fourth movie. John Cho and I text about it all the time,” Penn told x Variety “Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg โ who created and wrote all three movies in the franchise โ we all would love to do one. I think we all, thankfully, have the blessing of being really busy right now and want to find the right venue and the right timing.”
The first film in the series, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, was produced on a $9 million production budget and brought in $18.2 million at the domestic box office. It’s 2008 sequel Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay managed to double that with a $38.1 million domestic total and the 2011 A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas brought in $35 million in the US. While those numbers are nothing to scoff at, they aren’t the kind of success stories that hollywood is eager to produce in the current film client, but Penn has a plan for that.
“I feel like it’s gotta be a streamer because people just love watching [these movies] in the comfort of their own home on a Friday night at 2 a.m., which is more streaming ‘binge-able’ than it is going to the theater.”
“We keep talking about it and are hoping in the next year or so to be able to find a good home,” Penn added. “So, if anyone’s reading this and wants it, let us know.”
Though it’s unclear how likely it is, Warner Bros. and their New Line Cinema banner produced and released the Harold & Kumar movies and will soon take part in creating content for Warnermedia’s HBO Max streaming service. Should the interest in making a new movie in the comedy series be there at the studio level, the perfect streaming platform will already be in place.