Monster Hunter blatantly sets up a sequel with its cliffhanger ending — here are the latest Monster Hunter 2 movie updates, including everything that’s known about casting, story, release date, and more. Based on reactions to writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson’s Monster Hunter, it seems that critics are less than impressed. Yet, general audiences appear to be enjoying their viewing experience and a release on streaming services has brought new interest. Based on the eponymous Capcom video game, Monster Hunter released in December 2020. Milla Jovovich headlines as Natalie Artemis, a U.S. Army Ranger who leads a United Nations mission in the desert.
When her squad experiences a strange storm, they inadvertently crossover into a parallel world that’s inhabited by extremely large beasts. There, Artemis links up with a native warrior (martial artist Tony Jaa as The Hunter), who is initially skeptical of the Ranger but learns to appreciate her skill set and personality. The Monster Hunter climax reveals that the beasts can crossover into the New World. After a nasty fall, Artemis crosses over into her original realm and gets saved by her military comrades. Unfortunately for the soldiers, they get absolutely owned by one of the titular villains. Here are the latest Monster Hunter 2 movie updates.
The Latest Monster Hunter 2 News
There aren’t a ton of Monster Hunter 2 movie updates. Writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson addressed the possibility of a Monster Hunter sequel in an interview with WGTC’s Scott Campbell, and he was somewhat reluctant to answer. This is in light of Monster Hunter‘s poor box office reception, which could partially be due to its timing, but the movie also faced controversy when a joke deemed racist by China got the film pulled from theaters there. Regardless, Anderson was happy with the final product, but he cited how movies’ financial successes today are more complex, and therefore warranting a sequel is a different game. His full comment can be viewed below:
Financially, it used to be that you could usually tell whether your movie had worked or not opening weekend, because you had a day and date release around the world, and by Friday night you knew if your movie had worked or not. Now, of course, times are very very different, because back then you’d release your movie and probably three of four weeks later you’d be out of the Top 10 because there’s another big movie releasing every single weekend. Now, you know, movies hang around for longer, they have a bigger multiple over time than they normally would do, they probably have bigger video on demand numbers because people aren’t having the opportunity to see them in cinemas, and you don’t have a day and date release.
Despite Anderson’s assertion that Monster Hunter is the most faithful video game adaptation but the film being a box office flop, Monster Hunter 2 movie updates confirm that the first film has been dominating streaming. For a time, the movie surprisingly was one of the biggest on Prime, and Monster Hunter managed to do much better on streaming platforms than it ever did in theaters. Whether this renewed interest will push sequel dreams forward for Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson remains to be seen. Regardless, the two’s next project is already in the works — a George R.R. Martin adaptation of his short story In the Lost Lands.
Monster Hunter 2 Is Not Confirmed
Unfortunately, there are no Monster Hunter 2 movie updates that confirm a sequel is in development. It’s unlikely that Monster Hunter will go down as one of the best movies in 2020. Plus, the film received plenty of criticism because of a racist joke that was cut before the wide release, resulting in the film being pulled from the Chinese market. However, Monster Hunter features a big performance from Jovovich and includes plenty of popcorn thrills that have done much better on streaming than they ever did in theaters. Perhaps Monster Hunter‘s run on streaming platforms will convince studios that it warrants a sequel.
Monster Hunter 2 Release Date
Monster Hunter 2 movie updates don’t include a release date. This is unsurprising, considering the sequel hasn’t been confirmed and its predecessor had an abysmal box office run. In addition, for a big-budget ($60 million) film like Monster Hunter, a potential sequel probably won’t release for quite some time and Monster Hunter 2 will presumably be more expensive. Currently, Anderson and Jovovich are working on In the Lost Lands, and Jovovich is indeed still a proper movie star who is already attached to Hummingbird and Breathe. It’s possible that talks for Monster Hunter 2 will come about once these projects are complete, but that remains to be seen.
Monster Hunter 2 Cast
Monster Hunter 2 movie updates don’t include a cast, but if the film were to happen, it’s highly likely that the main players would return to reprise their roles. That means that Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element) will most certainly be back as Natalie Artemis. In addition, Thai martial artist Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior) should make an appearance as the Hunter, and the legendary Ron Perlman (Hellboy) would return as the Admiral. However, Perlman has a whopping 11 projects in various stages of production at the moment, leading all the way out past 2024, so his involvement is questionable.
Monster Hunter 2 Story Details
No Monster Hunter 2 movie updates mention a potential story, but the first film definitively sets up a sequel story. Monster Hunter ends with Artemis, The Hunter, and The Admiral executing an attack on a monster that crossed over into the New World. In addition, the Monster Hunter mid-credits scene reveals that a shadowy figure is creeping on top of the Sky Tower, which suggests that the character will emerge as the villain in Monster Hunter 2. In the sequel, the central focus will undoubtedly be the bizarre Tower, along with what Artemis and company can learn from their cross-over experiences.
Expect the monsters to be bigger and badder in Monster Hunter 2, and expect Jovovich’s character to be even more fierce. In addition, Paul W.S. Anderson admitted in an interview with Total Film that a potential sequel would introduce even more monsters than what the first film saw. A month before the Monster Hunter release, Anderson said, “I’ve been working on ‘Monster Hunter’ for 11 years […] There’s hundreds of monsters [in the game]. I can only use five or six of them in the movie. So it’s a big, fun world that I think we’ve only just started to scratch the surface of.”
Monster Hunter 2 Trailer
Due to the latest Monster Hunter 2 movie updates revealing that a sequel isn’t confirmed, there is no trailer. However, the film has been performing well via streaming, creating a solid interest in the video game adaptation. If studios take note of its streaming successes, it’s possible that Monster Hunter 2 could be greenlit, at which point, a development and production schedule would come to light and a trailer would come out. However, this remains to be seen. Stay tuned for more Monster Hunter 2 movie updates as they come to light.
