Disney’s DreamWorks studio is already preparing for a sequel to Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman even though the film won’t be released until October 7, reports Deadline.
The studio has received such a strong response to internal film screenings, and at a CinemaCon presentation, they have already decided to move forward and asked screenwriter John Gatins to write the sequel. Although the project is still in the early stages of development, they will also need to convince Hugh Jackman and director Shawn Levy to sign on for part two.
The futuristic ‘Rocky-meets-Transformers’ film tells the story of human boxers who are replaced by robots. Jackman plays a former boxer with now-obsolete skills who becomes a fight promoter. With the help of his long-lost 13-year-old son, he rebuilds a discarded robot that wins every fight as it progresses toward the top against scary competition.
Based on the short story Steel by sci-fi fantasy writer Richard Matheson, who also wrote I Am Legend, it has also been the subject of a Twilight Zone episode. The film will be produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, whose directing debut was Matheson’s story Duel.
Hugh Jackman is also awaiting a release date for the ensemble comedy Butter co-starring Jennifer Garner, Ahsley Greene, Olivia Wilde, and Alicia Silverstone.