‘Wanted’: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie’s 2008 Action Hit Gets Surprise Sequel Update!!

In an unexpected but welcome bit of movie resurrection news, Derek Haas has delivered a glimmer of hope for fans still holding out for a sequel to Wanted, the 2008 action hit which he co-wrote alongside Chris Morgan and Michael Brandt. Speaking to ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan during press rounds for his new Prime Video series Countdown (starring Supernatural alum Jensen Ackles), Haas expressed a fondness for the original and optimism about the chances of revisiting the film once more.

Released in 2008, Wanted is a high-octane adaptation loosely based on the comic book miniseries by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones. The film starred James McAvoy as Wesley Gibson, a disillusioned guy at a dead-end office job who turns into an assassin after discovering his late father belonged to a centuries-old fraternity of killers. The film also featured Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, and became a surprise box-office smash, grossing over $342 million globally. Given its success, plans for a sequel had begun, but for some reason, it has wandered in development hell since. After all these years, Haas has delivered a positive update on the sequel, telling the outlet:

“No, from your lips to God’s ears. I loved everything about making Wanted, and if Universal decides at some point they want to do the second one, Michael Brandt and I wrote a script for it that I still think is pretty good. And James McAvoy, come on back, let’s do Wesley again. It was really fun.”

Responding to comments regarding the chances of McAvoy‘s involvement, he reaffirmed his willingness, saying, “Yeah, I will say, never say never in this town, that’s for sure.” Despite a relatively self-contained ending with Jolie’s character dead, Freeman’s villain out of the picture, and Wesley having completed his transformation, buzz about a sequel started as early as 2010, with Universal reportedly commissioning Brandt and Haas to pen a follow-up. But the project soon stalled, joining the ranks of other one-and-done blockbusters. The fact that Haas is still talking about the Wanted 2 script 17 years later suggests that, while the sequel may not be on the front burner at Universal, the creative team hasn’t given up just yet.

What Has Derek Haas Been up To?

Since co-writing Wanted, Derek Haas’s career has grown by leaps and bounds. His most notable work has been in network television as the co-creator and showrunner behind NBC’s powerhouse One Chicago franchise: Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med, which has dominated primetime procedural drama for over a decade. Haas is also back in the action game with his latest project, Countdown, which debuted its first three episodes on Prime Video on June 25. Despite the marquee cast and premise, Countdown has so far received mixed reviews. Critics have been unimpressed, with the show earning a 36% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences seem to be giving it a chance with its more modest 63% on the Popcornmeter.