Netflix 'Bright' Gets a Sequel Despite Will Smith Film's Polarizing Reviews
"Bright" on Netflix, which stars Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, will get a follow-up movie. The streaming platform ordered a sequel days before the film's Dec. 22 premiere.
Netflix bankrolled "Bright" as the company's first big-budget Hollywood flick. Bloomberg confirmed the sequel order with Smith reprising his role as the platform plans on changing the way Hollywood studios and theatre owners deliver films in 2018.
"Bright" is about two cops set in an alternative fantasy world in Los Angeles. Daryl Ward (Smith) partners with Jakoby (Edgerton) who happens to be an orc and together, they keep the elf Tikka (Lucy Fry) safe from evil Elvish forces. They discover that Tikka is a bright who can wield power from a magic wand.
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Reviews about "Bright" polarized viewers and critics alike. Deadline cited the film as a misguided fantasy cop movie that did not work well for Smith. Forbes, however, cited that the movie defied expectations.
Fans on social media either referred to "Bright" as the worst film of 2017 or the most imaginative movie of the year. Regardless of the reviews, however, Netflix executives already made up their mind by having the sequel.
The movie will also debut in a limited number of theatres across the U.S. and the U.K. It will, however, be impossible to determine the actual box office power of "Bright" since most viewers will have access to the film via their Netflix subscription.
"What you can do in your living room is as good as what you can get in a theatre," Netflix senior product manager Richard Smith said. "It's a really impressive experience."
Having "Bright" and its sequel to Netflix, as opposed to a traditional Hollywood studio, undercuts all the other executives that usually have their say in the development of a movie. Netflix simply provides the budget and leaves it all up to the creatives to come up with the content.
"Bright" remains streaming on Netflix since Friday, Dec. 22. The film also stars Noomi Rapace (Leilah), Edgar Ramírez (Kandomere), Happy Anderson(Montehugh), Ike Barinholtz (Pollard) and Margaret Cho (Sergeant Ching).
