Real Steel 2: Shawn Levy has Talked to Hugh Jackman About Sequel

Real Steel 2 might still be coming at some point and Hugh Jackman could be part of the equation. [...]

By Aaron Perine

Real Steel 2 might still be coming at some point and Hugh Jackman could be part of the equation. Shawn Levy is on a press tour for his new film Free Guy and spoke to Inverse about the cult classic. The director reveals he's been in contact with his star after people began streaming the film on Netflix. Now, Real Steel wasn't some critically beloved movie when it came out, but it gained quite a reaction among fans. So much so, that when the streaming platform put the film on the service, it quickly raced to the Top 10. That kind of viewer behavior never goes unnoticed and Jackman couldn't believe what he was seeing. While it may be hard to imagine a sequel at this juncture, the world of 2021's entertainment basically mandates that the door be kept open for any and all possibilities. After all, did you ever think we'd see any of the previous live-action Spider-Men on the big screen again?

"It has been in my mind and in conversation a lot lately," Levy began. "Maybe because of the fact that when Netflix started streaming it during the lockdown, it became one of their top trending and most-viewed titles. Which led to Hugh and I talking again about, 'What is this love for Real Steel?' Kind of this realization that, 'Well wait, we love it that much too.' We've always loved it that much too. It's one of those never say nevers, it feels like the clock has run out on that window of opportunity. It feels like that fan-love and that audience hasn't gone away. So, who knows?"

Another star of the film gave her take on the film back at FanX in 2018. Marvel star Evangeline Lily had her own theories for why the movie might not have succeeded initially.

"I honestly was with you guys in pushing really hard for a Real Steel 2 — to the extent that when I got the feedback that when they were going to do it and then they were having issues in the writing room, I went off and I outlined and wrote my own version of Real Steel 2 and what I would do," Lilly explained."Like 'if you just need ideas, I've got tons of ideas.'"

"I just think the wrong people ended up in the theater, and by the time it got to the right people…it was already long past theater time and out on DVD and it hadn't done the theater numbers that we hoped," Lilly recalled. "And so I've been told we're never going to see a Real Steel 2, and as much as I would love to Hugh again and as much as I would love to work with Shawn Levy again, something beautiful about that remains sacred. I tend not to be a fan of sequels, period. I kind of love the idea of leaving well enough alone and just treasuring and cherishing a thing as it is, so I'm kind of of two minds about that."

Would you like to see a Real Steel 2? Let us know down in the comments!

Photo Credit: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

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