‘Black Bag 2’: Steven Soderbergh Teases Potential Sequel!!

Black Bag has only been in theaters for a few days but director Steven Soderbergh has already dropped hints about a potential sequel. The espionage thriller starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett debuted to rave reviews, with critics giving the film a 97% but general audiences falling slightly lower at 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also earned $7.5 million at the domestic box office paired with $4.2 million internationally for a worldwide total of $11.7 million. Black Bag slowly unravels a thrilling mystery that ultimately comes to a close when George Woodhouse (Fassbender) reveals he was one step ahead the whole time and during a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Soderbergh was asked about the potential of seeing these characters again in a sequel to the film:

“If we were fortunate enough with success to be asked to continue this story, David [Koepp] has a really good idea. I don’t want to jinx it, but it would be an even more serious problem that they would be confronting. The idea that David has plays into this idea of there will be a consequence to the fact they took that action [and killed James]. That’s not going to go away. You just don’t disappear somebody who works in that business and never have to confront your role in it. So David’s idea of how this circles back to them is really interesting.”

One of the central elements at play between George and his wife Kathryn (Blanchett) is distrust. This stems less from either of them being unfaithful and more from their profession not allowing them to put their faith in other people. Fassbender was also asked in the same interview if this dynamic would carry into a potential sequel:

“It’s a continual thing. To ever think, ‘Okay, life is going to be easier now,’ no, this is the world that they live in. They’re all looking over their shoulder within their own organization. Just the idea of going to work and in your workspace you’re constantly being observed and assessed and this level of distrust is a resting place for everyone. Paranoia is always humming in the background. So I think it goes on as we left off and their relationship as well.”

Soderbergh and scribe David Koepp certainly left the door wide open for more potential stories. Even if George and Kathryn had not survived, Black Bag could easily morph into something like Knives Out, with Soderbergh telling similar stories with a common link that also allows for bringing in entirely new casts. However, it has been reported that Black Bag was produced on a budget of around $50 million, meaning it will need to get around $100 million to break even. If the film doesn’t use its strong reviews and extend its legs to box-office success, Focus Features may not be eager to fund the next chapter.

What’s Next for the Stars of ‘Black Bag’?

Fassbender is attached to star alongside Star Wars veteran Domhnall Gleeson and Ruth Negga in Night Boat to Tangier, and he’ll also feature opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and David Hasselhoff in Kung Fury 2 from writer/director David Sandberg. As for Blanchett, she’s set to star alongside Adam Driver in Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, an upcoming comedy/drama from Jim Jarmusch, and she’s part of the star-studded ensemble for Alpha Gang, the upcoming sci-fi action thriller starring Steven Yeun, Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Channing Tatum, Riley Keough, and Zoë Kravitz.