RememberThe Last Witch Hunter? There’s a good chance you don’t because the movie had a reported $90 million production budget and only went on to accumulate $27.4 million at the domestic box office. While the film’s international haul wasn’t a complete disaster, a worldwide total of $147 million didn’t exactly scream “franchise starter.” But, it turns out, a little over four years afterThe Last Witch Hunter’srelease, the project is still onVin Diesel’s mind with the star and producer pushing to make a sequel happen.
Diesel led that film as Kaulder, the warrior responsible for killing the Witch Queen (Julie Engelbrecht) 800 years ago. The thing is though, before she goes, she puts an immortality curse on Kaulder. So, cut to the present day with Kaulder working for the Axe and Cross, a group dedicated to stopping witches. All is going well enough until Dolan the 36th (Michael Caine) is attacked and Kaulder discovers the Witch Queen is behind it.
While chatting with Diesel for his March 13th releaseBloodshot, I asked him how he forges forward when a passion project doesn’t pan out as hoped. UsingThe Last Witch Hunteras an example, Diesel explained:
“When aLast Witch Huntercomes out and it doesn’t destroy the box office you, under the old thinking, would go, ‘Well, maybe I should focus on something else.’ But nowadays what’s fascinating is that movies find you somehow.”
From the distributor perspective, big budget movies finding an audience kind of has to happen during the theatrical rollout to justify the expense. But Diesel does make a good point when you consider how accessible movies become thanks to streaming and VOD platforms after their big screen runs. If getting eyes on your finished product is the main concern, box office receipts aren’t the be all, end all:
“As an artist, the more experienced I get, the more I am appreciating just the fact that my work somehow finds you and that you get to experience it at your own time and at your own pace, and I’m less concerned - and maybe it’s because of accolades. Maybe it’s because I’m a part of Avengers or I’m a part of Disney, I’m a part ofGuardiansand I’m a part ofFastand I’ve had so much of that wonderful experience that I think the higher thinking becomes - when people tell me that they love theWitch Hunter, and they want to see Michael Caine and I go into another one, I go, ‘Wow!’”
You know what that “wow” reaction has lead to? Discussions about aLast Witch Hunter2:
“Lionsgate is coming and saying, ‘We’re putting a writer on for the next one.’ That’s kinda cool! … And this is just recent, by the way. But it’s funny that you mentionedLast Witch Hunterbecause I’m in a meeting with Lionsgate and they’re actively creating the sequel toThe Last Witch Hunter.”
So there you have it! There’s some movement over at Lionsgate onThe Last Witch Hunter 2.
