Sam Jones, best known for playing space opera adventurer Flash Gordon in the 1980 movie, paid homage to the role (playing himself) in Ted and Ted 2. Speaking with ComicBook.com, Jones says he’s signed on for a third Ted — but another movie starring the foul-mouthed stuffed bear isn’t guaranteed.
“We are signed for [Ted 3], but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen,” Jones said. “It’s all about crunching the numbers. Ted 1 set a precedent. It became #1 in the history of Hollywood, it shattered all the box office records under the category of original — original — R-rated comedy.”
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According to Jones, the 2015 sequel had to reach $400 million for a sequel to progress. “I don’t think it’s quite there yet, so if it reaches that number, then hopefully we’ll get the green light for Ted 3,” Jones said.
Ted, co-written and directed by Family Guy mastermind Seth MacFarlane, opened in 2012 with a debut that toppled The Hangover for the best showing ever for an original R-rated comedy. Ted went on to gross nearly $550 million worldwide on a budget of $50 million. Its sequel earned decidedly less in 2015, bringing in $216 million worldwide on a budget of $68 million. Though Ted 2’s box office earnings were less than half of its predecessor, the sequel made triple its budget — a success by Hollywood’s standards.
“It’s certainly possible there will be a Ted 3,” MacFarlane said in 2015. “There are just no immediate plans to do it.” In the years since, there have been no real updates on the potential threequel.
MacFarlane, who served as director and voice of the stoner teddy, will soon launch and star in The Orville on FOX, a live-action Star Trek spoof. Co-lead Mark Wahlberg has been busy: the actor recently lead the fifth Transformers movie and has two more movies in the can, Daddy’s Home 2 and director Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World.
