Is the newly announced 24 Jump Street just a money grab?

Dear Gossips,

It was reported yesterday that they’re making another Jump Street movie 14 years after the sequel, 22 Jump Street, was released. And the key on-camera talent involved in the originals will be coming back: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and Ice Cube. So is this just a money grab? I mean, it’s never not about the money. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be good, or that it doesn’t have the potential to be good.

When 21 Jump Street came out in 2012, it made over $200 million at the box office, pretty much guaranteeing a sequel. The sequel then went on to bring in over $330 million at the box office … with surprisingly decent reviews, overall. Because one of the main themes of the movie was mocking sequels and Hollywood’s shameless churn of sequels for profit over quality. One of the takeaways – that I remember anyway – from 22 Jump Street is that a third movie would be a f-cking joke…

But now here we are. Only they’re not calling it 23 Jump Street, they’re skipping the 23 and going straight to 24 which, no doubt, will be explained somehow and might even have something to do with the fact that they’re doing the very thing they seem to have been satirising.

Not sure we should write it off completely though. The creative team behind the previous movies will return along with the cast. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who are coming off the mega success of Project Hail Mary, and who directed both 21 and 22 Jump Street, are producing. Rodney Rothman, who co-wrote the script for 22 Jump Street, and co-wrote 24 Jump Street with Jonah Hill, will now be directing it. These are all people who are, presumably, self-aware enough to address the expectations – or none – the audience might have about this new installment. That said, it’s been 12+ years, a full cycle of the Chinese Zodiac. It was already a stretch to believe they could play students back in 2014, there is no f-cking way now, LOL.

Looking back, though, how many of you remember that Dakota Johnson was in 21 Jump Street? Brie Larson, yes, but Dakota Johnson, never. I never associate her with that movie probably because she didn’t have much to do. But I wonder about the cameos in 24 Jump Street – there will definitely be cameos, and now it’s been long enough since the first one that they could cameo cast members from 21 Jump Street, the movie, and it would feel like a throwback.

You know who would be the best cameo though?

Cate Blanchett.