Doug Liman reveals details about the Edge of Tomorrow sequel

After directing the surprise hit of 2014, Doug Liman is ready for some more time travelling action with Edge of Tomorrow 2

Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow was one of the most refreshing entries into the action genre. The movie was lauded for Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt’s performances and the perfect amalgamation of Liman’s smart direction & Christopher McQuarrie’s crisp screenplay. However, despite the movie’s critical success, it never got the sequel fans wanted. Now, after a lot of stalling, Liman has reported that the much awaited sequel to All You Need is Kill’s cinematic adaptation might be right around the corner.

Liman had a pretty hectic 2017 as he directed two back-to-back films, American Made and The Wall. However, that didn’t stop the director from working on Chaos Walking, starring Daisy Ridley & Tom Holland, and writing and directing his YouTube series Impulse. So, while Liman was busy promoting Impulse at the TCA’s, Collider caught up with him and extracted details about Edge of Tomorrow 2.

"More from Hidden RemoteThe story of a French emperor: Here’s where Napoleon will stream after theatersIt’s Thanksgiving Eve! Tune into the SNL Thanksgiving special to get into the spirit of the holidayMamie’s plan is advanced on Thanksgiving (Young and the Restless Nov. 22 recap)ACOTAR on Hulu: Is A Court of Thorns and Roses based on a book?Final season, release date set for La Brea season 3: Everything we know so far“We’re just working on the script… [We’re no longer working on scheduling issues], now it’s down to we have a window where we could go do it, and we’re frantically working on the script. It’s one of those movies that we’ll only go make if we love the script. It’s not one of those things where the studio is pushing us to make it and they don’t really care if it’s good or not. If the movie happens, it will be because Emily Blunt, Tom Cruise and myself are passionate about making it, which is a great place to be. She doesn’t need this movie, he doesn’t need this movie, and I don’t need it. We’re gonna make it if we really believe in it. We have story that the three of us love, so we’re working hard on the script.”"

Although McQuarrie was occupied with Mission: Impossible 6, he had provided the initial idea for Edge of Tomorrow 2. So, it’s relieving to know that writers Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse have converted into a satisfactory draft that is being worked upon by Liman. Additionally, considering how Blunt, Cruise and Liman‘s schedules will be free by the end of this year or the beginning of 2019, fans can expect the action-packed sequel to arrive by 2020.

What can we expect from Doug Liman’s Edge of Tomorrow sequel?

When Edge of Tomorrow hit theaters in 2014 with a $178 million budget, it barely managed to make its money back, despite having big names and a blockbuster appeal to it. However, when it hit home video, Liman’s sci-fi venture received so much appreciation that the creators decided to respond with a worthy sequel. In short, since Liman knows what Edge of Tomorrow means for fans, we can trust him to respect that sentiment and make a movie that’s for the fans.

From a narrative point-of-view, Edge of Tomorrow had fleshed out Cruise’s William Cage and Blunt’s Rita Vrataski in compelling ways. As Cage transformed from a coward looking for materialistic gains to a man who sacrificed everything that proved his heroism or his love for Vrataski, it’ll be interesting to see how he utilizes his skills and maturity in the sequel. Additionally, as Vrataski’s brief backstory and her camaraderie with Cage showed that she’s much more than the bad-ass warrior she portrays, fans can expect Liman to explore her character in much more detail.

Next: Neil Gaiman talks about show-running American Gods season 2

We’ve seen how most action blockbusters suffer from lack of emotion as they resort to upping the scale with each bloated set-piece. However, this is where Edge of Tomorrow succeeded as it followed the “obstacle-success-obstacle-success” format of progression, thereby increasing the stakes even though the scale kept decreasing. As Edge of Tomorrow 2 already has well-established characters, we can expect Liman, along with Shrapnel and Waterhouse, to double down that on that and provide a sequel/prequel that is as satisfying as the original.

What are your expectations for Edge of Tomorrow 2? Let me know in the comments.